


The Adventures Made Known

by joggerwriting



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst and Humor, Characters Watching the Show, Plot Twists, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2018-09-21 17:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 129,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9558593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joggerwriting/pseuds/joggerwriting
Summary: When a TV station got hold of Danny Phantom's memories, the cast has to watch their past adventures being broadcasted for all. A sinister plot unfolds as they race to discover who's behind the scenes, while Danny deals with having the world's eyes on him. Old and new villains galore, and relationships are changed. This is a plot-heavy characters-watching-the-show story about fame and its consequences, told using a combination of reactions/novelization/original-plot. Post-revelation in Phantom Planet. Originally posted in FF.net.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I welcome you all, wonderful readers! In this story, you'll find the cast's reactions when they have to watch the show starring themselves — and their adventures — that is also being broadcasted to the world. However, while the part where they watch the show is a huge plot device, it won't be the only thing you'll find. There is a plot (or are there plots?) going on, which is based on the consequences after the revelation in PP and the act of watching-the-show itself.
> 
> So yeah, this story is heading toward a direction. I'm gonna be short so here are some important details you might want to know:
> 
> · Set in a post-PP world, with the exception of Tucker being mayor (a bit hard to rationalize for me);  
> · Danny/Sam/Tucker are 16-17 year-old. My personal head canon is that the three seasons cover three years;  
> · Pairings: Danny/Sam, Tucker/Valerie, Jazz/OC;  
> · Story's plot-line and characters' reactions go side by side;  
> · I welcome helpful criticism and suggestions, including on the writing technicalities (grammar/structure/spelling) front;  
> · I try to be canon-compliant, so most OCs will be kept to minimum roles (with the exception of some who fill out necessary roles);  
> · For Vlad's lovers...Yes, he is in this fic :)
> 
> Enjoy!

### Chapter 1 - Prologue

It had been two weeks since the Earth was almost mauled by an asteroid the media had nicknamed "the Disasteroid". Almost everyone in the North Pole had come back to their respective countries, with the exception of some technicians and scientists staying to oversee the dismantling of various projects which had been implemented, whether successfully or unsuccessfully, to stop the space rock. Of course, at the center of it all was Danny, his friends, and family, who was deeply involved in the only successful effort to stop the asteroid – by getting the ghosts of the Ghost Zone to turn the earth intangible. But you are all too familiar with the story anyway. So the question everyone asked was "What happened next?"

  


* * *

"FOR THE LAST TIME, WE ARE NOT RECEIVING VISITORS!" Jack Fenton's booming voice could be heard throughout the house, accompanied by the slamming of a door.

The orange-jumpsuited figure's exasperation was evident as he went to the fridge and began searching for one of his _emergency hams_ – perfectly suitable for stressful situations such as this.

Maddie Fenton's head popped out from behind the kitchen door.

"Jack honey, perhaps you could tone down a little bit? We don't want to be perceived as impolite by those folks," Maddie was still insisting that their family be…polite…to the visitors slash newshounds slash paparazzi added with a sprinkle of obsessed fangirls AND the occasional fanboys – who were not at all reluctant to _camp_ for days in front of the house.

Jack, who was in the process of devouring his self-made ham sandwich, deflated. "Well, Mads. Sooner or later these people will wear down the Fenton Family House Anti-Creep Mode. Our expertise is ghost! Now I'm thinking we should design a new anti-creep gadget for Danny's stalkers…."

"No, Dad," Jazz exclaimed, shaking her head as she walked down the stairs. "You guys can't go around shooting people like you shoot ghosts. Don't you think that you would get arrested for that!? Jeez…by the way, I'm going to the library since school starts on Monday."

She suddenly stopped and slapped her forehead. "Damn it! I suppose I'll have to go pass through them," she murmured in realization. "How am I supposed to get things done now?"

"Well….you can always use the computer in the lab, honey," Maddie suggested, walking to the Fentons' living room.

"I'll just go get Danny," Jazz announced as she started to walk to the stairs for the second time that morning. "Oh," she exclaimed brightly to her parents, "and I can't tell you how unbelievable it's still for me to say that! I know you guys would accept Danny. It's done wonders to his psyche," as she proceeded to her brother's room in order to wake the boy up from his slumber.

"Go get Danny?" Maddie mouthed in confusion to her husband. Jack shrugged. Then both of their eyes widened comically in realization.

Oh

_OH ___

  


It was apparent that two weeks had not been enough for the two poor parents to reconcile immediately the image of their sweet, harmless son, into Danny Phantom, the infamous ghost who they had hunted rather unsuccessfully in their careers as ghost hunters. Jack and Maddie had their shares of shock followed by guilt after the revelation. One, for not being a good enough parent to notice what their son was going through. Two, for being two of the most prominent Phantom-haters in the town.

When confronted about it, Danny had waved their apologies good-naturedly, saying the he'd understand their position and perspective as ghost hunters. Still, the Fenton family was still threading on thin ice with each other, mainly due to the guilt preventing the elder ghost hunters to address the elephant in the room. As such, they were not familiar with a huge aspect of their son's life even two weeks afterward.

Jazz was only too happy to play the go-between psychologist-in-training.

Currently, the aforementioned girl was dragging her grumbling brother to the stairs.

"Come on, Danny. I don't want to be late!" Jazz said as she half-dragged the pajama-clad boy.

"Hrrrrmph," Danny grumbled incoherently for a moment before complaining exasperatedly, "Jazz, it's Saturday! It's definitely a crime to be woken up in this hour. Why are you in such a hurry anyway?" he eyed his sister suspiciously.

Jazz's eyes were darting back and forth nervously. "Oh! Did I say that? I mean, look at your 'phans' outside. You should go meet them and get over it!"

"Yeah, and get the worst trauma of my life! I mean," with blue eyes now a bit wider and having a crazed look over them, "they're crazy!" he said in a stage whisper. "Last week, some of them threw uh..uh…" he gesticulated frantically to an imaginary area around his chest.

Jazz gave him an amused look.

"So nope! Nu'uh! Nada! And I'm not going to bring you to the library on Saturday, Jazz!" he exclaimed resolutely as he planted his feet on the hall.

"Aw, come on, lil bro. I have to prepare for school on Monday!"

"Go spazz somebody else, Jazz! I'm in pajamas and am so not ready to function."

"…but you have invisibility and intangibility. Just take me past the mob. Or else…." Jazz whispered conspiringly to her un-budging brother, "….I will tell mom and dad about your nightly excursion to Sam's house."

Danny froze. "You wouldn't."

"Ah ah ah," Jazz smirked victoriously. "I know what you did last night, Danny. You naughty, naughty little boy."

"We're not doing any…ARGH get your mind off the gutter, Jazz!" he said as he glared at her. "Well, if you _insist_ on being the tattle-tale, go on. Tell 'em." Now, he was the one smirking at her. "I'm not doing anything wrong. 'Sides, they've already approved my relationship. Ha!"

"And good luck with going to the library, Jazz. I'm gonna resume my wonderful sleep" he yawned, already stepping away from the first sets of steps that would lead to their living room.

Jazz was silent for a moment, before...

"WHAT THE? JAAAZZZZZZ!" Danny screamed as he was forcefully pushed down the stairs by his sister, forcing him to summon his rings of transformation before he hit the bottom steps, and turned intangible as he did so.

Jazz was laughing at the rather high-pitched scream when Jack and Maddie got to the scene.

"What's going on here?" Jack asked, already armed with the latest technology in Fenton weaponry.

"Jazz?" inquired Maddie.

Then Danny, in Phantom form, appeared from underneath the ground, staring accusingly at his sister. "Jazz pushed me off the stairs, mom!"

"What!?" Maddie exclaimed, confused whether to feel horrified or not. "Jazz!"

"Good thing you're a ghost, eh son?" Jack said surprisingly as he clapped his son on the back.

Recovering from her laughter, "Good!" she said smugly. "Now that you're Phantom, let's go to the library!"

Danny was about to reply with a snarky comment when all of a sudden his ghost sense alerted him. Maddie also noticed and frowned.

"Is there a ghost around, sweetie?" she asked, "except yourself obviously."

"Yeah, I'll probably have to take a look around. It's weird though, they haven't attacked me in two weeks. Why start now?"

Mood turning serious, Danny jumped into the air to look for the ghost when suddenly the atmosphere changed, alerting the whole family of another ghost's presence in the room.

"Danny Phantom" an eerie voice was heard.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Danny demanded, looking around the room. Maddie and Jack got into a battle formation, a thrill running through their bodies. This would be the first time they watched their children fight without any secret. Maddie discretely tossed an ecto gun from her belt to Jazz.

"I've heard the tale of one ghost capable of uniting the realm," the voice continued as red-black wisps suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, forming a portal from which a hooded figure came through. "—not just heard, but been witness of the feat myself!" A strange mocking laugh was heard.

Danny interjected, "Look. If you come to say congratulations, then wait in line outside. No need of the fancy lights."

"You think you're funny, Phantom?" the ghost added derisively. "I have never been thoroughly entertained in centuries when I learned that a mere child is capable of controlling our realm!" The tone was gradually more angry than amused. "A mere child! HAH! You don't even know the ramifications of your actions, boy!"

"Uh, duh..," Danny replied, mockingly rolling his eyes. He gave a discreet signal to his sister to retrieve the thermos he left in his room. "…the Earth and Ghost Zone being saved maybe? Are you here to fight me then? Shouldn't you by now start to say things like world domination or whatever?"

While Danny was used to do his 'witty-banter' to delay the confrontation until he got a reading on the situation, his parents were, sadly, not.

"GHOST SCUM!" Jack exclaimed, immediately pulling the trigger on the newcomer.

Maddie added, "We do not mean you, sweetie. BE GONE SPOOK!" while pulling out her favorite weapon, the Fenton Bazooka.

Two shots immediately rang out before Danny could do anything. However, the hooded ghost effortlessly created a red barrier, absorbing the shots. Danny had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. Then, almost as fast as lightning, the ghost retaliated, sending a huge red ectoblast to the parents. Danny quickly dove in front of them and erected a shield-dome to deflect the blast.

"Get away from them! Your fight is with me!" he shouted fiercely.

Then suddenly, from behind the ghost, Jazz came running with a thermos. "Ghost! Say welcome to the Thermos land!" she exclaimed as she proceeded to activate the thermos….with no result.

"Huh?"

"Foolish child!" The hooded ghost, who was apparently immune to the effect of the thermos, mock-scolded. "Do you really think I, an Observant, watcher of the Ancients, am to be contained in that abysmal device?!"

That made Danny stop short. "Wait, you're an –Jazz! Don't aim that beam on me again!—you're an Observant?"

"Of course, child. I am not your enemy if you don't want me to be. If these two—" the Observant gazed at the two adults derisively, "—sorry excuses of mortals had not attacked me, I wouldn't have wasted the use of my marvelous powers on them."

"Hey! My parents are not sorry excuses of mortals!" Danny and Jazz exclaimed almost at the same time, accompanied by two exclamations of "We're not sorry excuses of mortals!" from his parents behind him. Otherwise, they stayed quiet, half-feeling out of the water with the strange terms the ghost and their son were exchanging, half-curious about what Danny could and would do.

"Jeez, somebody got a massive ego," Danny muttered.

The hooded ghost lowered their hood for a fraction, and Danny could see a single eye dominating the supposed face of the ghost, confirming their identity as an Observant.

"What do you want then? Does Clockwork know that you're here?" asked Danny.

"Clockwork is within our employ. My consideration is now you, Phantom. You, who have disturbed the two worlds to irreversible consequences. This cannot be allowed, for you will destroy our order!" thundered the ghost.

Danny, who was getting increasingly incredulous during the whole dialogue, replied, "Whoa, hold up! Me?! Disturbing two worlds? Destroying your order? Okay… you kinda overestimate what I did, so should I just take yours as a compliment?"

He suddenly had to leap to the side to avoid a red beam. "Wait! You said that you're not my enemy!? Now you go and do a killing rampage?!"

"My plans are incomprehensible to you, Phantom," the ghost said as he proceeded to pummel Danny with shot after shot of the red beams, gradually going faster than any ghost Danny had ever faced, including Plasmius.

Safe within the glowing green dome, Jack and Maddie watched the fight with extreme worry. "We have to help him," hissed Maddie to Jack.

Before they could do anything, however, Danny was finally hit by one of the beams. Unfortunately, instead of pushing him back with a slight burn like what ectobeams usually did, this one made Danny collapse to the ground and scream.

"DANNY!" Maddie and Jack exclaimed, horrified.

"LET GO OF MY BROTHER, YOU MONSTER!" Jazz said from her position but she was being held back by a red-colored barrier, similar to the one Danny usually had as a shield except for the color.

A strange thing happened. The red beam that hit Danny instantly connected his body to the Observant. It looked like the Observant was absorbing something from the half-ghost, similar to the effect produced by Spectra. While keeping the connection – and thus, Danny on the ground – the ghost spoke to the parents and sister.

"I am not your enemy for I only come to get what I want: Daniel Phantom's memory," the ghost began without emotion. "Starting from tomorrow, Amity Park and what you people call as the Ghost Zone will know who he is exactly. All secrets will be lay bare. And the truth shall be known: which is that this child is not worthy of being the supposed ruler of the realm!" finished the ghost as he looked at Danny's form derisively.

"TIME OUT"

  


* * *

Clockwork, the Master of Time, observed the frozen scene before him quietly. His charge was on the ground, mouth open in a silent scream and expression frozen in agony. Behind him was a large green dome – no doubt his charge's work – where the parents were frozen in the motion of trying to reach their son. The sister, Jasmine, was on the other side of the room behind a barrier which was angry red in color.

He pulled out three of his time medallions, then proceeded to put it on Jasmine first.

"LET DANNY GO! YOU HORRID—uh what's going on?" she asked, suddenly frightened seeing everything frozen in time.

He floated in front of her. "You must be Jasmine, Daniel's sister. I am Clockwork, the Master of Time."

Jazz's eyes became large. "C-clockwork? Y-yes! Danny's told me about you." She glanced at her brother before asking, "Are you here to save him?"

Clockwork remained silent as he floated to the place where Danny's parents were at. He slipped on the time medallions to the two ghost hunters.

"GHOST!"

"DANN-O I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

"Uh, Jack," Maddie was the first to notice Clockwork. "Look!"

"ANOTHER GHOST!"

"Dad, Mom! Don't shoot! Clockwork's a good ghost, like Danny! He'll save him!"

Clockwork shook his head. "Greetings, Jack and Maddie Fenton. I'm sure that your son has not told you about me. In fact, I'm not only sure. I know."

Jack and Maddie stared blankly at the purple-cloaked ghost.

Clockwork sighed. "I'm only here for a quick visit. The Observants, any of them, must not know my part in these events. I have to leave before he notices something amiss. I'm sure Jasmine can relay the information I'm about to give to her brother?" Jazz nodded resolutely.

Maddie suddenly interrupted, "Why are you not helping my son? I'm having a hard time believing that you're a ….good ghost when you're not lifting a finger to help him!" she pointed to the frozen form of Danny who was still struck by the red beam from the Observant. Jack had gone off to crouch beside Danny trying futilely to drag his son away from the danger.

"My apologies," his current old-age form bearing a genuine regretful expression. " He's under the power of an Observant, which I cannot touch nor influence." He looked away before adding, "This Observant has for a long time sought access to a viewing of Daniel's memory. I have blocked him in every endeavor, except for now which is beyond my authority and jurisdiction. You have to relay this message to Daniel: Reality is subject to the workings of the mind."

Seeing the looks of confusion he got from the three humans before him, he closed off by saying, "Remember that the events you are about to experience are meant to be. Now, you must be similar to your respective positions before this time-freeze started. We don't want the Observant to know what has occurred here."

After Clockwork took the medallions, Jazz, Maddie and Jack went back to their approximate positions.

"TIME IN"

  


* * *

Immediately, time resumed the scene that was previously frozen in time. The ghost finally stopped the beam with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Looking at the three Fentons, he started to leave through the portal he created just before.

"You will be seeing me soon."

  


Maddie immediately ran to the fallen form of her son on the ground. Jack and Jazz were close behind her. "Danny, Danny!" she said worriedly as she shook his shoulders gently. Danny's eyes remained closed. There was no visible injury on him, however, except for the fact he was breathing rather shallowly.

"Mom," said Jazz, staring in dismay at her brother who was now cradled in her mother's embrace. "You have to get him to his bed. Danny's strong, his body usually heals fast due to his ghost powers. I hope."

"C'mere, Mads," Jack muttered quietly then he gently picked Danny up from Maddie's lap. They quickly strode upstairs into Danny's room, where Jack lay his son down on his bed. Maddie went to sit next to the boy on the bed, tenderly running her hand through his hair, checking Danny's clammy temperature at the same time. They shared a worried stare.

_What's going to happen now?_  


* * *

  


Miles away in the office of Amity Park News, an inconspicuous red glow enveloped one corner of a journalist's desk. When the glow faded, it left behind a stack of DVDs with blank covers. On the top of the stack, there was a note stating:

"If you want to know the truth about Danny Phantom, you will play this starting tomorrow night."

When a journalist happened to see the DVDs, she frowned in confusion. 'Weird. I could swear I didn't leave these on my table,' she thought, never noticing the slight red glow emanating from the object. She was suddenly overcome with a strange compulsion to bring the stack to her boss and did what was written on the note.

"Hey, Matt! Look what I have here! Something on that famous Phantom kid."

"Man-oh-man! We've struck gold, Ang! Hurry up and let's see it!"


	2. First Encounter of the Ghostly Kind

* * *

Danny Fenton was not a morning person. He woke up with a massive headache the next morning. Blearily rubbing his heavy-lidded eyes, he forced himself to sit up. He caught sight of the numbers his digital bedroom clock was showing. Danny's mind went blank; having difficulties to register the time it showed.

**_07.24_ **

After blinking once, twice, and thrice, he just shook his head.

"Danny! You're up!" his mother suddenly opened the door of his bedroom. "Are you feeling okay, sweetie? Do you feel any injury? We've tried checking since yesterday, but we couldn't find any. But you just wouldn't wake up," her eyes watered suddenly. "Do you need anything? Are you feeling hungry since—"

"—Mom, stop!" Danny groaned, trying to stop the budding headache that had amplified since his mom bombarded him with questions. "I'm fine! I'm just getting a migraine 'cause it's just _way_ too early to play twenty questions."

Maddie gasped, coming closer to the bedside. Putting her hand on her son's forehead, she cried out, "A migraine! Does your head feel hurt, honey? I'm getting you an aspirin right away, 'kay?"

" _Mom!_ Overreaction," complained Danny. "My words just went over her head when she's in 'mom mode'," he muttered. Brushing off his mom's hand and getting out of his bed, he continued, "I'm just….uh….gonna get a shower, mom. You know my brain feels half-dead right now." Grinning at his own pun, he said, "Half-dead. Get it?"

She just gave him a look. "If you say so," appraising him dubiously, she decided, "Well, I'll be downstairs with your dad and sister. There's something we need to tell you so be quick. Just call me if you need anything, sweetheart."

Ducking to avoid her attempt to smother him with a kiss, Danny quickly grabbed his towel and went to the shower. "Yikes, Mom!" he exclaimed. "Now, _please._ I need my privacy, mom."

.

When he came down for breakfast, he saw his family already on the table. Having a better mood due to his recent morning shower, he greeted them brightly, "Morning!"

"We're having pancakes? Sweet! I hope these pancakes are not ecto-contaminated, Mom!" joked Danny as he eagerly grabbed a plate.

"I told you he doesn't seem to remember yesterday," Maddie whispered to Jack.

"What do you mean? I played video games with Tucker all day. Mom, you're the one acting weird and saying weird things this morning," Danny said in confusion, having heard Maddie's words due to his enhanced hearing.

"Um..you really don't remember what happened, Danny?" Jazz butted in worriedly. "I've read that post-traumatic amnesia can have several troubling effects such as disorientation and possible memory loss. You probably have hit your head when the Cyclops Ghost struck you down."

"The…..Cyclops Ghost?" Danny began uncertainly.

"Yes, son! And that darned one-eyed menace will soon meet his end to Jack Fenton's inventions! No ghost should harm my son, especially one who calls himself a lame name like 'observable'!" Jack exclaimed in a reassuring tone.

"I'll show him how observable his remains will be when I'm done dissecting him!" Maddie exclaimed angrily, then paused. "Oh, sorry sweetie. Old habits die hard," she continued sheepishly. "You know I don't mean you personally, right?"

"Just wait a minute!" Danny exclaimed. "One eyed ghost? You mean an Observant?" Unable to resist, he smirked to Jazz, "Just wait till I tell Clockwork you call an Observant 'the Cyclops Ghost'. Oh wait…he's probably already known."

Then it registered to Danny what had been said. "What!? An Observant was here!?"

"Yeah, Danny. We've only been telling you that since forever. Now stop shouting in capitals and listen because Clockwork said he had an important message to you yesterday," Jazz answered rolling her eyes.

"Clockwork was here too!?" Danny exclaimed incredulously again.

But before anyone could answer, they were interrupted by a Ghostbuster theme song ringing. It was from Danny's phone. Jack snickered at his son's choice of ringtone. It was a voice message.

"Hi Danny. I have an urgent message. One of my parents' friends is a reporter from Amity Park News. He told my parents to tell me to tell you that you should watch the morning news. He said it's really important, but if it's one of those fangirls specials once again, _grrrr."_ There was a sound like something wooden was being kicked by a hard, steel-studded combat boot. "I've threatened to bail out from that dinner my parents have set up, but my parents insisted that it was really important, said that it would change everything. That's why I'm putting this on message 'cause I'm gonna tune in to the TV soon. By the way, where are you last night? There isn't any ghost fight yet, is it? Love you."

.

In the awkward silence that had befallen the room, Jazz took the initiative to reach out for the TV remote and turned it on.

"Good morning, Amity Park! What a fine day we have this Sunday, isn't it Lance?" Tiffany Snow greeted with her characteristic cheery voice.

"That's right, Tiffany. We're bringing you news from Amity Park and 'round the world right to your table!" Lance Thunder, the field reporter who apparently got promoted to an anchor job replied.

"Speaking of news," Snow continued, "The reason we have Lance here is because of a very. _very_. special. reason."

"Hah! Tiffany, you know that I prefer being with you rather than standing around in the presence of ghosts. It's certainly much more agreeable to my beautiful hair! Speaking of ghosts, we've received some information about a certain famous half-ghost—"

"—is that the correct term now, Lance? Half-ghost?"

"Absolutely, Tiff, and I know this because all – I mean _all_ – information has been dropped in our hands by an…unanimous source—"`

"—It's _literally_ being dropped in our studio by the way." Snow added cheerily. "We would like to thank this source very much for having done what our correspondents in the field are unable to do so far."

The screen cut to the picture of various people camping out outside of the Fenton house.

"Anyway, we don't want to keep our loyal viewers in suspense for far too long. Therefore, we present to you our newest hourly special! 'Danny Phantom: Exposed" Airing tonight at 7 p.m exclusively on our channel."

"It's also being broadcasted to worldwide viewing through our website. So stay tune and keep on watching."

"Of course, Lance. Amity Park and the rest of the world in extension have been left incredibly curious after the events of two weeks ago. Especially after the knowledge that Danny Fenton is Phantom after all. Now, Jane Laurence, the author of ' _How to Use Psychology to Fool the Mind'_ , has been kind enough to discuss with us how in the world Amity Park was unable to connect Fenton to Phantom."

"Admittedly, the boy has done a great job 'Clark-Kenting' us, hasn't he? In fact,…."

The rest of the words were tuned out as the sound of Danny hitting his head repeatedly on the table was getting louder, with intervals of "Kill me…Kill me now"'s here and there.

.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. A ghost – not just any ghost, but a freaking Observant at that– came into your house and stole your memory," Tucker repeated incredulously over the video chat. "Dude, finally your life gets back to normal!"

"Normal? My two week vacation is officially over, Tuck. And now there's that TV program we have to worry about."

"Come on, I know that you've been worrying senselessly for two whole weeks. Let's see here. 'Tucker, why is no ghost attacking the town? What am I gonna do with the reporters? Tuck, I'm being cooped up in my house and I'm going crazy I'll just go to the Ghost Zone to find Skulker' Oh, and the best one: 'You know, Tuck, I'm starting to miss the Box Ghost.'" Tucker laughed with his various impersonation of Danny's voice. "And this…no matter what I said about the ghosts being in a temporary truce with you."

"Well," Sam interjected. "I keep telling him to relax and enjoy the truce."

"Maybe you should do more than just 'telling him', Sam," Tucker grinned suggestively.

Sam scowled.

"Yeah, yeah," scowled Danny to the laptop screen, although he had a small smile on his face. "Hilarious. And FYI, I've never whined like that. And Tuck, she did do a _lot_ more," Danny added with a decidedly evil grin to Tucker.

Tucker shuddered. "Gah! I don't need the mental image of my two best friends doing R-Rated things! Keep it to yourselves, you lovebirds."

Danny and Sam grinned. "So what are you gonna do with the program, Danny?" asked Sam.

"I dunno….watch it? I don't know what's going on with this ghost, but I'd bet he has some hands in this—" Danny shuddered, "—'Danny Phantom: Exposed.' I already got bad feelings from the name."

Sam and Tucker exchanged a concerned glance.

"We're with you every step of the way, you know that Danny?" Sam said softly, a bit uncharacteristic of the goth.

"Yeah dude, you have absolutely nothing to worry about! What are they going to expose anyway? Your habit of tossing your shoes around the house afterschool? Your crazy toast-hating campaign? You being clueless to Sam's crush?"

Out of habit, Sam and Danny began, "WE'RE NOT LOVE—," then exchanged a sheepish glance.

Tucker laughed. "And we're gonna be at your house tonight. Right, Sam?"

Sam nodded vigorously. "I'm bringing sleepover equipment."

"Ha ha, Tuck. Thanks, you guys. Um…you have no idea how much that means to me," Danny paused, "Wait, what do you mean you're coming here? And your parents allow this?"

Tucker smirked. "Well, my parents are coming over too. I thought that if anything has to be exposed, it's better to ask the first-hand source themselves. Besides, they said they are due for a conversation anyway, something about their only son being a good-looking ass-kicking sidekick all along."

"Ass-kicking? Pffft," Sam said to Tucker playfully. "More like 'ass-kicked', Tuck—"

"—Hey!"

"—And I haven't asked my parents yet, but I'll go anyway," she said dismissively. "Whether they like it or not."

While Danny blanched at the prospect of confronting his own parents _plus_ the Foleys inevitably tonight, he supposed that it was indeed long overdue.

"Talk to parents, talk to best friend's parents, _AND_ getting humiliated on TV in one night. Great!" Danny said with exaggerated enthusiasm. "How could it get any worse?"

Simultaneously, Tucker and Sam winced.

.

* * *

As if to prove Danny's words wrong, the scene in the Fenton's living room was as comically awkward as it could possibly be, due to the unexpected addition of the Mansons sitting stoically on one side of the room, with the Fentons on the other side, while the Foleys were tactful enough to sit nearest to the four teens at the center of the room.

Sam's scowl was the most evident as she herself was unprepared and decidedly unwelcome to the presence of her parents in the room, who had insisted to come after unceremoniously being informed of their daughter's upgrade in relationship status to the youngest Fenton.

Danny and Sam had already planned to break the news to them gently, with Danny wanting to formally ask for the Mansons' permission, regardless of Sam's disdain on the matter. However, it turned out that the news channel had been giving off hint after hint throughout the afternoon in-between their various segments, in order to get the viewers more intrigued for tonight's viewing. One of those hints was unfortunately Danny and Sam's relationship status.

It became a hot topic among teenage girls especially, but sadly for Danny and Sam, that did not exclude gossiping office women who had nothing better to do for their lunch break. The rumor vines finally reached the top management tiers where Jeremy Manson was finally informed of his daughter's involvement. Needless-to-say, it wasn't pretty as the Manson patriarch was treating the supposed "involvement" as if Danny and Sam were involved in a more illicit ways.

So Danny had to add 'talk to girlfriend's parents about secret _and_ relationship' to his mental list.

"Alright, I think it's starting!" Maddie Fenton's cheery voice broke the awkward atmosphere as they all turned to the TV screen.

"How do I turn the volume up, Jack?" asked Maurice Foley, who was holding the remote.

"Only by the manual way, Maurice," answered Jack as he walked to the TV to press the volume button. "How else could I fit the new Fenton TV control button with the limited space?"

Maurice could only blink blankly at the remote who was dominated by a big yellow button at the middle. Danny and Tucker snickered, while Sam was looking at her parents preventing them to say anything insulting. Jazz facepalmed.

"Er….so what does this button do, Jack, if you don't mind me asking?" Maurice's wife, Angela asked, getting a wide smile from Maddie.

"It will pause the TV whenever you feel like it. Jack has inserted a device to temporarily record the program with two-hour buffer.* Then, whenever we want to comment, we're not missing out what's playing.** I have to admit that this is a great idea, Jack," Maddie beamed at her husband, and moved to kiss her husband.

Jazz and Danny looked at each other in horror. _Parental embarrassment in three, two, one._

The adults averted their eyes in politeness, and then Jeremy coughed. "Shall we begin to watch then?"

.

* * *

"Hello Amity! You are watching the first in what I like to call an exposé of Danny Phantom's life! And boy, are you in for an adventure! Seriously, the studio staffs have skimmed through the content and they are absolutely mind-blown with what they have seen! I have to say, the following scenes were probably recorded with a high-def camcorder. It's like watching the events from Danny himself! So let's begin everybody! We are…. _going ghost_!" an unknown male voice narrated.

Danny's eyes were wide open in shock hearing his trademark battle cry, previously unknown to others not in the know. "I think this is real serious stuff, guys," he whispered fretfully to his best friends.

The screen suddenly went black. Everyone held their breaths in anticipation.

Then an opening crawl appeared on the screen, Star Wars-esque in style.

_**The following show has been analyzed and confirmed to be true in nature. It has undergone a few edits and insertions courtesy of the Amity Park News co.** _

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"Ssssh, this is going to be epic I knew it," Tucker said, jumping into the hype.

_**Aired with the consensual agreement of all parties involved.** _

Jack, Maddie, Jazz, and Danny simultaneously exploded in anger.

"What consensual agreement?"

"They didn't even bother to ask ME when making a show about ME!"

"That's a lie! Think we could sue them for this?"

"Um..guys," Angela hesitantly began, "Before you guys can take any legal action against them, notice how they left the terms 'all parties involved' ambiguous."

That didn't stop the Fentons' loud resentment, though, especially Danny's.

Then suddenly Jazz gasped. "Look, Dad! It's you!"

**The show opened with a close-up shot of none other than Jack Fenton himself.**

" **So Danny," The Jack on-screen said with a grin. "You and your little friends wanna hunt ghosts." They were in the Fenton basement/lab with a view of the closed Ghost Portal in the background.**

" **Uh…Actually Dad—" Danny replied hesitantly. "I want to be an astronaut."**

"You know, Danny. There's a good chance someone in NASA might see this show," Tucker murmured.

" **Sorry, Mr. Fenton. I was into ghosts but they're so mainstream now. They're like cellphones," Sam said, expression disinterested.**

" **Waste these looks and all this charisma hunting ghost?" Tucker said in a rather incredulous tone. "Criminal."**

"Ooooh, how irony is so sweet right now," jested Jazz.

"Um.. Jazz, we were actually just saying that to get Mr. Fenton off Danny's back," Sam replied.

"Yeah," Tucker supplied. "I remember those days. Danny was _so_ nervous his parents would catch him having ghost powers." He snickered.

But Danny could feel his mother's glare on him.

"Young man, I want you to understand that lying is bad. Your father and I will not condone any more lying starting from now, alright? Just how many lies have you given us in the past years, _and we've never realized it_ …?" Maddie's voice became somber.

"Well, Maddie," Angela, who was rather close with the woman, consoled, "this is a show about _someone's_ secret identity after all, so we'd better brace ourselves with these kids' antics. And Tucker, we'll also create a no-lies household for us, got it?"

Danny and Tucker nodded meekly.

Meanwhile, Sam was arguing with her parents.

"Samantha, I've told you times and times again that these two boys are bad influence," she exclaimed, horrified. "Look at you!"

"I think I turned out just fine, _mother_ ," Sam replied murderously.

"But—"

"—Come on, honey. We're not having our arguments here," Jeremy reasoned firmly, keeping his eyes firm on the screen. Pamela huffed and crossed her arms, an action that was unconsciously mirrored by her daughter.

" **Well if you do wanna hunt ghosts, there are a few things you need to learn," Jack continued, undeterred. He turned his back to go to a table with many beakers and various lab equipments. There was a close-up to Danny's face, and then suddenly the audience could see a cold breath coming out of his mouth as he gasped, "Oh no."**

"Huh?" Jack stated, confused.

" **This isn't good." Danny-on-screen muttered.**

**Then suddenly the Ghost Portal opened and two ectopusses came out.**

**Then the two ghosts snatched Sam and Tucker in their grasps; tentacles covered the two children's mouth so that no sound alerted the still oblivious Jack, who was still rambling: "True. I've never seen a ghost. But when I do, I'll be prepared. And so will…"**

**The camera moved to Danny who was staring flabbergasted at the sight of the ghosts holding his two friends.**

Pamela and Angela were staring increasingly horrified at the screen. "Please tell me that you two got off alright," Angela pleaded.

"Nah, there was Phantom on the scene! Shit's about to go down!"

There was a pause as everybody stared at Maurice, particularly Angela who gave him a death glare.

"What!" he exclaimed. "I've always been a Phantom fan," he said to the blushing Danny.

Tucker snickered to Sam, "They're excited over this? _Casuals._ "

**Suddenly Danny's expression changed to a determined one. The camera interestingly stayed filming Jack's back while Danny jumped off-screen and there were two rings of light in his wake.**

"AHA! The transformation rings, right Danny!? That's my boy!" exclaimed Jack with exuberant pride.

For his part, Danny hid his face behind his hands. "This is getting increasingly mortifying," he muttered.

**There were loud sounds of fighting while we saw Jack** _**still** _ **being busy with his equipments. Sam and Tucker were suddenly thrown back into their seats – just in time when Jack turned over to show the Fenton Thermos.**

**Sam took the thermos.**

" **It's supposed to trap ghosts," Jack said off-handedly, oblivious to the fact that his son was definitely not on his seat. He turned his back on the teens again.**

There was a collective sigh from everyone. Maddie threw a fond exasperated glance at her husband.

" **But since it doesn't work then it's just a thermos. A thermos with the word 'Fenton' in front of it," he declared. The sounds of fighting were still heard in the background, but now it seemed like the ectopusses were** _ **screaming.**_

**The camera then panned to the sight of two ectopusses thrown to the front of the portal, sufficiently beat up. Then they escaped through the portal and a white flash of light signified Danny's transformation back to Fenton.**

"What?" Maurice shouted. "They didn't show us the action?"

"There would be….a lot of….actions alright after this, Mr. Foley," Danny shot back hesitantly.

"—but mostly it's boring teenage stuffs," Tucker interrupted, grinning. 'Trust me, we've been there."

"—and a lot of hormonal teenage stuffs we don't need to see," Sam sighed. " _Paulina."_

"—or the world for that matter," Danny said, starting to realize the horrific implications this show would have to his personal dignity.

**Danny quickly jumped to his seat as Jack glanced at the portal.**

" **And** _ **that**_ **….that is the Fenton Portal. It releases ghosts into our world whether I want it to or not. Someday," he said wistfully, "I'll figure out how that works too."**

" **Now," Jack said as he turned out to face….the shivering forms of Sam and Tucker. "** _ **Who wants to hunt some ghost?"**_ **And Danny appeared behind Tucker's seat, looking very much out of breath.**

"Can't. Breathe." Jazz gasped as she guffawed. "This is _so_ ironic that it's perfect!"

Danny glared at his sister. "You can stop saying that now."

" **You kids look at you!" continued the oblivious man. "You're too excited to speak. So I'll just go on speaking."**

Everyone snickered at Jack, who had resignedly accepted the humor in the situation.

" **I was born many years ago in a log cabin in the woods. I don't exactly remember where but I do remember the pony…never got the pony….. as a matter of fact, we had to eat horse meat during the war. I had a problem with that…"**

Jeremy snorted, then surprisingly spoke out, "That was incredibly random, Fenton."

"I keep thinking that the reason I never got the pony is because we ate it! Ha!" Jack said with a laugh. It became an awkward moment as the adults gave off forced laughs.

"Right there, Danny," Sam said with snickers. "That's your sense of humor staring you in the face."

**The screen cut out to fast-moving shots of Danny Phantom in his various "action" poses as a groovy music played out.**

_**(He's a phantom)** _

_**(Danny Phantom, Danny Phantom, Danny Phantom)** _

_._

_**Yo, Danny Fenton, he was just 14,** _

_**When his parents built a very strange machine.** _

_**It was designed to view a world unseen.** _

_**(He's gonna catch 'em all 'cause he's Danny Phantom.)** _

_._

_**When it didn't quite work, his folks, they just quit,** _

_**But then Danny took a look inside of it,** _

_**There was a great big flash, everything just changed,** _

_**His molecules got all rearranged!** _

_._

_**(Phantom, Phantom)** _

_._

_**When he first woke up, he realized,** _

_**He had snow white hair, and glowin' green eyes** _

_**He could walk through walls, disappear, and fly,** _

_**He was much more unique than the other guys.** _

_**And it was then that he knew what he had to do,** _

_**He had to stop all the ghosts that were comin' through,** _

_**He's here to fight, for me and you!** _

_._

_**He's gonna catch 'em all, 'cause he's Danny Phantom,** _

_**Gonna catch 'em all, 'cause he's Danny Phantom,** _

_**Gonna catch 'em all, 'cause he's (Danny Phantom)** _

_._

_._

A pause as everyone was busy processing. Then…

"WHAT THE HECK!? WHO-WHO MADE THIS THING? I…I…" came from Danny who had thrown himself in front of the TV with a crazed look in his wider-than-normal blue eyes.

Shocked out of their stupors, everyone started to fall into hysterical laughter. Yes, even the Mansons.

"Calm…..(laugh)…..down.. (hysterical chuckles), lil' bro," Jazz gasped as she crawled (she was unable to walk properly due to the extreme hilarity she felt) heroically to save her brother's sanity.

"I AM OFFICIALLY TRAUMATIZED," Danny yelled. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE GUYS THINKING?"

"DANNY!" Maddie Fenton exclaimed scandalized, as her mother's instinct won out hearing her son's uncharacteristic cussing.

Danny had taken to whimper in a corner of the room, curling his body into a ball, and rocking back and forth.

Jazz had given up her heroic effort and dissolved into giggles.

Tucker was in the process of grabbing the remote from his father. "Dad…! I …want…(gasp)..to replay….the….(laugh)….THEME SONG!" Tucker exclaimed before dissolving into laughter once again. "Let me get my PDA to record the whole thing," he said with an incredibly wide evil smirk to the form of his best friend who was still in his own world of denial.

"Jazz!" gasped Sam, who was still in the throes of her own chortles – so hard that her mascara was getting a bit smudged from the tears flowing out of her eyes. "Danny's hyperventilating!"

Jazz quickly came over her brother and put her hands on his shoulder, drawing him into a hug. "Breathe, Danny. Breath...Nice and deep… Follow my breathing patter, okay?" However, her concerns were only half-hearted as she burst into fits of laughter _again_ after Danny had regained his breathing, earning herself a death glare from him.

Meanwhile, the TV had played the song again (courtesy of Tucker pressing the replay). Tucker was gleefully recording the whole thing with his PDA.

Angela giggled in mirth hearing certain lyrics of the song. "Snow white hair and glowing green eyes? You know, Danny, the writer must've been a huge fan of you."

Tucker mouthed "snow white hair" repeatedly, determined to never allowing his friend to live this down.

"Look!" Sam pointed to the screen, which was showing a title card **"Mystery Meat"**. "It says Guy Moon is responsible for the music."

"Oooh," Tucker guffawed, "a fan boy."

Danny growled, "I will personally find the guy!"

"Ease up, Danny," Maddie said, "Well, I personally like the song very much! I will play it every day whenever you get too lazy to come out of your bed and do your chores, sweetie…"

Danny banged his head to the wall.

"Rest in peace, Danny's sanity and dignity," stated Sam with false cheerfulness. "So when's the funeral?"

.

.

"So it all began because of the portal?" Jack began when they all had calmed down somewhat.

"Yep, the _song_ basically summarized it, Dad," answered Danny, growling out the "song" part of the sentence.

Jack and Maddie exchanged glances, then Maddie said, "We're so sorry, sweetheart. If only we knew our inventions did cause harm to our children, we would have stopped doing our work at home. Jack—" Maddie turned remorsefully to her husband. "What were we _thinking_ building a dangerous portal in our _basement!?_ "

"Mom, it's _fine!_ I've already told you again and again that I've never blamed you," Danny reassured, himself distressed seeing his suddenly upset mother. "Or Dad, or anyone else," he asserted, staring meaningfully at Sam's eyes. "Besides, you'll see that it's a good thing to have a portal in our basement because, how else am I going to empty the thermos to the Zone?"

The parents smiled. "I guess Fentonworks should now start making _useful_ invention to your ghost fighting, right son?" Jack said.

Danny further reassured, "Believe me Dad. I would have never been able to do half of what I'm doing without some aid from your inventions. So yeah! They worked! You guys have no idea how much I owe you from the start." He shrugged. "I guess you'll see soon though."

Jack was wiping some happy (very manly) tears out of his eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Danny-boy."

"Thanks, Dad," Danny smiled softly then said to the room at large, "Let's continue to watch."

.

.

**To be continued in "A Ghost in Casper High" a.k.a. Mystery Meat Part 2**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where the watching part comes, folks! And more to come!
> 
> Honestly, this is a re-write from the one I have on FF.net. Some of the dialogues were cringe-y. Probably they still are, though...
> 
> Read and comment your thoughts please....! Even if it's just 'I like it/I hate it. :)


	3. A Ghost in Casper High

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own Danny Phantom, although I take some liberty transcribing the show (which is a slow, painstaking process). It kinda make me all the more appreciative to the works of Butch Hartman, Nick Animation Studio, and co. So all props to them.. :)   
> Canon-divergence Warning : In hindsight, I forgot about Tucker being a mayor by the end of PP. Sadly, I couldn't put that into plot even after several tries. So for the sake of this fic, I have to diverge from canon. Tucker is not/has not been a mayor.

Chapter 3: A Ghost in Casper High

.

**It was a normal day in the middle-class neighborhood of Amity Park. This particular street was littered with apartments, a few deli shops in-between, cars being parked in the sidelines, and trees decorating the sidewalks. However, the scene swept to the right to reveal a building with a huge "FENTON" placard illuminated neon green at the front.**

**It was, to say kindly, bizarre in design, most of all due to the huge ship-like metal construction spouting off the rooftop of the building. In fact, this construction was apparently bigger than the building itself; it was topped with a radar tower the Fentons had insisted on building even though they themselves did not – and had no plan whatsoever – to build a broadcasting station.**

"I'm surprised, Madeline," Pamela Manson began, raising a sardonic eyebrow, "that the town council hasn't lodged a complaint regarding this building permit."

"Well, they have given Jack and I some _privileges_ for being contributive members of the society." Maddie replied with an equally sardonic tone. "We're inventors after all."

Pamela huffed, but made no reply.

**The scene changed to Maddie who put on her hood and goggles before activating a blowtorch to work on a Fenton gadget….all on top of the Fentons' dinner table. Her two children were eating cereals on the very same table. Jazz glared at her mother before burying her face to her book ' _Surviving Adolescence through Therapy"_ , while Danny was munching on his cereal with a bored look on his face.**

"Are you still reading that book?" asked Danny.

"No," answered Jazz after a pause. "I don't think the author can even begin to understand our family's brand of craziness."

Pamela whispered discreetly to her husband. "After this, we have to hire a renowned psychology for Sammy. This family's crazy."

However, Jeremy shushed her.

**Suddenly, Danny's hand turned intangible. His spoon fell, startling him. Danny looked at his invisible hand and freaked out silently.**

" **Okay, two more days, and it's done!" stated a cheerful Maddie.**

**Danny quickly hid his hand under the table.**

" **What did you say?" asked Jack from behind his wife. "It's done!? The Fenton Finder is done! This baby uses a satellite to lead you right to the ghost," declared Jack excitedly.**

" **It uses what to track w-what?" stammered an anxious Danny.**

**The newly-christened Fenton Finder began to beep. "Welcome to the Fenton Finder. A ghost is near. Walk forward."**

**Danny began to walk backward.**

**Jack and Maddie enthusiastically followed the machine's instruction; only to find they had cornered Danny.**

" **Ghost located. Thank you for using the Fenton Finder."**

**Danny grinned awkwardly.**

" **What!" Jack said indignant, "That can't be right!"**

**However, it was at this moment Danny accidentally turned invisible _again._**

"It's hard to believe they could've very well known at this moment, Danny," said Jazz, grinning. "You should've just told them right here and there, and save yourself a world of trouble."

Danny smirked at his sister, "But I _was_ gonna tell them."

"Then why not?"

"See for yourself."

" **Actually, uh…I need to tell you guys something," Danny-on-screen addressed with resolve.**

"— **That's not all you need, Danny." He was suddenly interrupted by Jazz. "You. Need. Guidance," she stressed. "And parents who can provide it."**

" **Sweetie, I know what we do doesn't make sense sometimes, but you're only—,"**

"— **sixteen," asserted Jazz. "Biologically. But psychologically, I'm an adult, and I will _not_ allow your insane obsession with ghosts to pollute the mind of this impressionable little child! Come you abused, unwanted wretch. I'll drive you to school."**

Everyone was more than amused at this point.

Jazz threw a sheepish glance at her brother who rolled his eyes.

" **Huh," Maddie commented, "That's weird. Jasmine _never_ offers to drive Danny to school."**

" **That can only mean one thing! That's not our daughter. That's a ghost!" Jack concluded with a frown. "DANNY NO IT'S A TRAP!"**

**And the Fenton parents charged courageously after their children.**

"Oh dear," Sam said, "This is becoming more and more into one epic facepalm-fest." She proceeded to do the said action herself.

Everyone laughed, although Pamela's was a bit reserved.

"I hate to be the one to pop the balloons," Angela began, "It's just... I'm afraid how people will perceive you Fentons after this. Danny, it was said that this show's like your point of view on things. While that is certainly interesting and mind-opening, people around you are going to make a fool of themselves, especially your parents."

"Angie has a point. Their perspectives are going to be biased because this show seems to be focused on one thing only," Maurice added worriedly, "which is Danny's secret. Maddie and Jack – and the rest of us included – wouldn't figure it out any time soon."

The room was quiet, contemplating on what had been said.

Danny saw his parents' despondent faces, and objected, "It'll be okay, guys. If it _is_ really based on my perspective, then they will see the awesome things my parents would do afterwards. I mean," he resumed optimistically, "even I myself turned out to respect you _and_ ghost hunting, guys, and you know how me and Jazz were before! Then, it would be similar with them, too."

Danny met the meaningful glances sent to him by Sam, Tucker and Jazz. They understood. There was no way this supposed exposé was as innocent as it appeared to be.

**At Casper High, Danny, Tucker and Sam were walking down the hall.**

" **I think I should tell them," said Danny worriedly.**

" **Why?" replied Sam, "parents don't listen. Even worse, they don't _understand_! WHY CAN'T THEY ACCEPT ME FOR WHO I AM!"**

"Sammy!" Jeremy and Pamela exclaimed, aghast.

"Well, it's true!" retorted Sam angrily. "And don't call me SAMMY!"

Next to Sam, Danny sniggered against his instinctual survival sense. He quickly put on a serious face before Sam noticed him, though.

" **Sam, I'm talking about _my_ powers, _my_ problems," Danny said. **

" **Oh right, me too," stated Sam embarrassed.**

"Yeah right, _Sammy_ ," whispered Danny.

She mock-glared at him. "You're lucky that I'm too fond of you…to not perform a homicide and disembowel your remains afterward."

" **It's been a month since the accident and I still barely have any control," explained Danny, "if somebody catches me I'll go from geek to freak around here!" as he began to _sink through the floor_**

" **Kinda like what you're doing now?" Tucker chimed in. Danny made a surprised sound.**

" **Darn it," he muttered, after regaining his bearings again. "If my dad can accidentally invent something that made me half-ghost, why can't he invent something that turns me back to _normal_?"**

"Son," Jack began quietly, "I can start trying inventing something to turn you back to normal, if that's what you want."

"No, that's alright, Dad," replied Danny. "I've accepted my powers since then."

"But if you still want...of course, _this_ being my fault after all—"

"—besides, I don't know what's the effect on my body if my powers were removed, Dad," he gently interjected his dad, "I did get electrocuted by the portal after all. Maybe, the ectoplasm is what's keeping me alive." Then, he winced, wishing he could choose his words more carefully.

"Honey," Maddie said, "It's still a possibility for you to have side effects from you being Phantom. Maybe we could run a few tests—"

"Mom, I don't want to be subjected to _any_ test."

"—just a few _harmless_ test."

"The only time I see somebody putting me on a lab table and doing something to my ghost half is …when….," Danny stopped, unable to continue. His mind was flashing with the images of Vlad and himself, in another lifetime. The ghost gauntlets pierced deep into his chest and pulled out his ghost half. Separated from the human, Phantom channeled his pain to eliminate the strongest threat in the room, Plasmius. The full-ghost grabbed the gauntlets and ripped away his nemesis. Plasmius, however, overpowered Phantom and took over his consciousness to form a new entity. A monster. A figure in Danny's mind who would always haunt him.

"…Dan…," Danny whispered. His old fears were coming back, partly triggered by the past nightmares of being rejected, and torn apart 'molecules by molecules' by his parents.

"Okay, mom. That's enough," Jazz intoned firmly. Everyone was looking at Danny in concern and confusion. Sam laid a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder and smiled encouragingly at him.

"Let's continue, everyone," She called out.

**Danny walked intangibly through the vending machine.**

There were many chuckles from around the room. The tense atmosphere gradually dissipated.

" **Danny, your powers make you unique. Unique is good," encouraged Sam, "that's why I'm an ultra-recyclo vegetarian."**

"A what?" Angela raised her eyebrows.

"… **which means what?" asked Tucker.**

"My daughter doesn't eat anything with a face on it," Pamela answered.

" **She doesn't eat anything with a face on it," Danny answered.**

Jeremy laughed, disguising it as a cough.

" **Nah, who cares about that stuff? Danny, two words. Meat. Connoisseur," the techno-geek said smugly. Sniffing at Danny, he declared proudly, "Last night, you had Sloppy Joe's."**

" **Impressive."**

"You are definitely my son, son!" Maurice jested.

" **Meat heightens the senses, and my all meat-streak is fourteen years strong," he bragged .**

" **And it's about to end." Sam smirked, "The school board's finally agreed to try the new cafeteria menu. I wore them down."**

" **Wait, _what did you do_?"**

**Sam apparently had turned the school lunch to suit her ultra-recyclo vegetarian ways for a week.**

"…which was the worst week of my life," muttered Tucker.

" **What is this?" Danny exclaimed. "Grass on a bun?"**

" **What have you done?" whined Tucker dramatically.**

**Sam turned to face them with a smug smile on her face. "Tucker, it's time for a change."**

"As your father, Samantha," Jeremy suddenly inserted, "I am starting to respect your determination to be an ultra-recyclo vegetarian. However, forcing your ways of life to your friends is not a good behavior."

Sam gaped. "You're the ones forcing ME to adopt your way of life!"

"That's not the way you speak to your father, Samantha," Pamela scolded, but was silenced by a look from her husband.

"Well," Jeremy said awkwardly, "I might have realized today…that we might be…wrong."

"Jeremy!" Pamela exclaimed.

A pause as everyone did not want to interfere in the Mansons' family drama.

Tucker nudged Sam. "He's right you know, on the first point."

**Back at Fentonworks' basement, the Ghost Portal ominously opened; from within came a ghost known as the Lunch Lady. She was a huge figure of an old woman, dressed in the typical Lunch Lady uniform complete with a white apron and a hairnet. In fact, she would have passed as one of the living if not for the fact that her skin was noticeably _green_ , and her body was slightly translucent. **

" **Oooo," cooed the Lunch Lady, "Somebody changed the menu," before floating away.**

"Like it or not," Tucker commented, "She was the first ghost we encountered, except for Danny."

Jeremy frowned. "Now wait a second here. I'm not sure I like where this is going. Am I right to assume that this ghost had targeted my daughter _specifically_?"

Danny, Sam and Tucker exchanged glances.

"Look, Mr. Manson." Danny tried to explain. "We think it would be easier to list ghosts who _didn't_ specifically targeted us. I've..uh...always tried my best to keep them out of harm ways though."

"Although obviously," Tucker added with a grin. "He underestimated our stubbornness. Dude, get it in your head that you can't keep us from helping ya', whether to bail you out from Dash's wailing or kick the Ghost King's butt."

"—and Danny's been doing a good job protecting us, _Dad_ ," Sam intoned defiantly to her father.

**It had gone completely unnoticed to Jack and Maddie, who were in the lab with their hands busy tinkering with a vacuum cleaner-like device.**

" **Maybe this is a bad idea," said a concerned Maddie.**

" **No, it's perfect," Jack replied confidently. "When Jazz gets home we suck the ghost out of her with the Fenton Xtractor!"**

**Maddie was not convinced. "But what if Jazz isn't a ghost? What if we accidentally hurt her?"**

" **Maddie, the Fenton Extractor doesn't hurt humans, unless it gets in your hair," he said as he turned on the Xtractor. Jack screamed as the machine sucked in his hair, but otherwise remained relatively nonplussed as if to prove his earlier point.**

" **See?"**

"Now, Dad," Jazz moaned. "I want you to imagine the same thing happening to me who have a LONGER HAIR!"

Jack looked sheepish.

**The scene had changed back to the school cafeteria once again, where Danny and Tucker were critically examining their 'grass on bun'.**

" **Don't you think this is a little extreme, Sam?" asked Danny.**

**Her answer was interrupted when Mr. Lancer, the school's vice principal, put a hand on the goth's shoulder. "Ah, Miss Manson. The school board wanted me to personally thank you for ushering in this welcome experiment to our cafeteria."**

**Sam looked proud.**

**All of a sudden Tucker started sweating and sniffing his nose. "Meat," he mumbled. "Near." He suddenly sniffed Mr. Lancer.**

"What?" Tucker exclaimed in defense when everyone in the room looked at him, amused.

" **No, no," the Vice Principal hastily explained, "The rumor about the all-new steak buffet in the Teachers' Lounge is completely untrue."**

Danny grinned. "He was suspiciously specific about it."

" **Thanks again," said Mr. Lancer to Sam, before sauntering away.**

" **Yeah," Tucker narrowed his eyes at Sam. "Thanks again for making us eat garbage, Sam."**

" **It's not garbage," Sam said in a bored tone as if she had been asked to explain this a hundred times already. "It's recyclable organic matter."**

**But the boys' opinions were already set on the matter.**

"I'm truly sorry, Sam," Angela said. "Even watching it from the TV, I've already had the urge to cook a meatloaf. In fact, I probably will tomorrow."

Maurice and Tucker's faces brightened.

**The lunch lady-on duty discreetly pulled out a hamburger from her pocket and left her station to take a bite.**

"Why would she put that hamburger in her pocket?" Danny commented, grossed out.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, man," Tucker nodded.

**As soon as she left, however, the Lunch Lady ghost phased in from the ceiling. She looked down at the table top and found the "Ultra-Recyclo Veggie Lunch Menu" booklet. Her brows furrowed.**

"Boo-ya! Evil ghoooost!" exclaimed Maurice, already on the edge of his seat.

"Maurice!" his wife hissed.

**The screen changed back to Danny who was suddenly alerted by his "ghost sense", which was a puff of cold air escaping his mouth. His friends stared at him.**

" **Guys," he started, "I've got a problem."**

**However, a handful of mud suddenly hit the back of Danny's head.**

"Danny, what?" Maddie said, shocked.

" **FENTOOON!"**

" **Make that two problems."**

**Danny, Sam and Tucker turned around to see Casper High's resident jock, Dash Baxter, stomped toward them. His expression was indignant. The cafeteria quieted in anticipation of the coming Jock vs. Nerd confrontation.**

" **I ordered three mud pies! Do you know what they gave me? Three. Mud. Pies. With mud! From the ground! All because of your _girlfriend_!"**

"Props to whoever gave him that! _Literal_ mud pies! Was that brilliant or what." Tucker said gleefully.

"I wonder whether he realized it was mud _before_ or _after_ he tasted it?" mused Danny.

Then, the two boys simultaneously snickered to each other and said, "Nah!"

" **She's not my girlfriend!" Danny exclaimed, followed by Sam's "I'm not his girlfriend!"**

"Ah, the good old days when Tucker wasn't third-wheeling," humored Jazz.

"Hey!" lamented Tucker as the adults chuckled at the teens' antics. The only exceptions were the two Mansons who exchanged uncertain glances with each other.

"Though I feel I've always been third-wheeling from the start," said Tucker with a smirk. "Clueless lovebirds."

"WE'RE—" Danny and Sam began, before stopping.

Tucker smiled smugly and crossed his arms over his chest. "My point exactly."

**Dash abruptly grabbed the front of Danny's shirt and lifted him off his feet.**

**"These are the best years of my life! After high school, it's all downhill for me! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ENJOY MY GLORY DAYS EATING MUD?!"**

**"Actually, it's topsoil," interrupted Sam.**

**"Whatever!" Dash then threw Danny into a table.**

"Why was he blaming Danny for his troubles?" asked Maddie. Her expression was pissed.

"Next time I see the kid"—Jack shook his fists—"he's going to taste a fistful of Jack Fenton's revenge!"

Danny looked on, mortified. " _Dad_ , you don't need—ugh... it's _just_ Dash!"

"What do you s'ppose he will do to the likes of Skulker, huh Danny?" Sam crossed her hands, smirking.

**"Eat it," demanded the jock, shoving the plate full of mud to Danny. He complied, expression turning scared as he lifted up a spoonful of mud to his mouth.**

"Why didn't you fight back?" asked Jeremy suddenly.

Danny shrugged. "The same reason I kept my powers secret."

 **Unfortunately** — **or fortunately depending on your point of view** — **, Danny's ghost sense suddenly acted up again. From the corner of his vision, he saw the Lunch Lady ghost inside the school kitchen.**

**"Uh...uh..." Thinking quickly, Danny promptly threw the plate right to Dash's face. "Garbage fight!"**

"Good!" exclaimed Maddie, sitting with a satisfied smile on her face.

**The cafeteria immediately turned into chaos. Every student gleefully participated in the fight. From under the table, Sam looked on with a righteous rage.**

**"It's not garbage!" Jumping out of the table, she growled, "It's** —"

**Danny pulled her down again before she could. The trio crawled carefully to the kitchen's direction.**

**"You're gonna pay for this, Fenton!" shouted Dash as he saw their figures retreating, but his face was quickly re-introduced to a handful of mud coming from a random direction.**

**"Great, I'm still his favorite," moaned Danny. They quickly found the door to their destination. Danny and Tucker peeked in.**

**"Hah, shouldn't be so bad," muttered Tucker. "She looks a little like my grandmother."**

**"Shouldn't she be haunting a bingo hall?" said Danny.**

**The Lunch Lady saw them and approached. "Hello, children. Can you help me? Today's lunch is meatloaf, but I don't see the meatloaf. Did someone change the menu?"**

**"Yeah," answered Tucker. "She did."**

The Foleys and the Mansons groaned. The Mansons glared at the boy.

"Hey! What was I supposed to do?" defended Tucker. "She asked us a question."

**The atmosphere abruptly changed. The Lunch Lady was suddenly not so benign anymore.**

**"YOU CHANGED THE MENU?" Her red eyes glowed imperiously. Green fires appeared around her body.**

**Danny, Sam and Tucker gasped.**

The elder Mansons and Foleys gasped.

"I've never seen a ghost attack up close," whispered Angela part-terrified (especially for the children on the scene) and part-amazed.

**"THE MENU HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR FIFTY YEARS!" She roared and green nimbus appeared above her head.**

**"Get behind me!" shouted Danny. The two teens complied.**

**"Wow," Sam commented. "I feel safe."**

Everyone in the room stared at Sam and Danny, then burst out laughing.

Danny sneakily slid his arm over the goth's shoulders. "Do you, now?" he whispered.

The goth blushed but managed to shoot him an unimpressed look. "Try harder, ghost boy," she whispered back teasingly.

"Oh, I definitely will."

**On screen, Danny stared determinedly ahead. He lifted up his arms. "I'M GOIN' GHOST!"**

**Then two rings formed around his waist, going up and down respectively. As they passed, they revealed the black suit, silver boots and gloves, snow white hair and glowing green eyes, in place of the raven-head boy.**

**Danny Phantom.**

Everyone in the room, with the exception of Team Phantom, was silent, mesmerized.

"Way to impress your potential in-laws, Danny," Tucker said, snickering. Even the elder Mansons were absorbed in the moment.

" _Or_ they'd be thinking that I'm freakier than I already am." Danny bit his bottom lip. "This is _so_ embarrassing."

"My parents are lost cause, anyway. No need to worry about them," Sam said, secretly enjoying the feeling of Danny's arm around her.

"It's their first time after all—well, since North Pole," stated Jazz. "It shocked me too when I first saw you turned from human to ghost."

**Danny jumped to the air to face the enraged ghost.**

**"I...," he began hesitantly, "...command you... to go away!" Needless to say, the Lunch Lady did not listen. She threw her hand out and commanded a huge stack of plates to attack Danny. Seeing the incoming missiles, Danny concentrated hard, making his body intangible. The plates hit the wall behind him harmlessly.**

**He smiled.**

"Wow, I didn't realize how bad I started," said Danny.

**The ghost threw projectiles of plates to Sam next, but Danny was quick to intercept, catching the plates and piling them neatly on both arms. The same went when the flying plates were about to hit Tucker. The pile became so high that Danny was forced to catch a couple of plates with his mouth.**

**Tucker caught his eyes and smiled.**

"You looked so funny! I would've taken a blackmail pic if it wasn't a life or death situation."

"That's what you thought while I was saving your butt? You're very welcome," Danny replied dryly.

**Danny quickly flew to the counter and put down the stack he had accumulated. He pulled out the plates that were caught by his mouth and turned them over, seeing his white-haired, green-eyed reflection on the polished surface.**

**"Well, if this superhero thing doesn't work out, I could have an exciting career as a busboy."**

Sam chuckled. "I can imagine how _well_ that would turn out."

**However, from the reflection, he saw the stoves behind him started to tremble.**

**"I control lunch. Lunch is sacred. Lunch has RULES!" growled the Lunch Lady. "Anybody want cake?" she suddenly switched to a sweet voice.**

**Sam and Tucker nodded numbly, their jaws hanging open.**

**"TOO BAD! CHILDREN WHO CHANGED MY MENU DO _NOT_ GET DESSERT!"**

"A bipolar ghost?" Angela said to Maurice whose eyes were glued to the TV.

Jazz caught what she said and narrowed her eyes in thought.

**The stoves opened and blasted out green fires, aimed at Sam and Tucker, who quickly jumped out of the way. Another shoot past Danny. The stoves suddenly jumped into the air and headed for a collision with Sam and Tucker. They closed their eyes in dread.**

**Danny suddenly appeared behind his friends, laying a hand on each of their shoulders and turning them intangible. He flew them through a wall. The stoves collided with the same wall only seconds after.**

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

**The three teens had phased to a school corridor and tumbled on the floor. They quickly got up.**

**"Hey, it worked!" exclaimed Danny, looking at his hands.**

Tucker slapped his best friend's shoulder. "We'd be a kebab if it didn't."

**But Sam was a different story. "This is the thing I get for thinking like an individual?"**

**Their relief quickly ended, however, as the ground began to shake. Electricity flashed from the lights before they went out completely. Suddenly, the locker doors slammed open and their contents shot out of them. They moved to form a whirlwind behind the Lunch Lady as she suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor.**

**Danny, Sam and Tucker stared horrified.**

"I can't believe you children went through this without our knowledge!" Maddie Fenton had stood up from her seat, distressed at the scene being played in front of them.

**Suddenly, Tucker sniffed the air.**

"Huh?" Maurice mumbled out loud.

**"Steak. Rib eye! Porterhouse! Medium rare!" he listed off staring at the various meats that were also making their ways to the Lunch Lady. They stuck themselves to her form. The Lunch Lady was now covered in a meat armor from head to toe.**

**"B-but...where did it come from?" asked Tucker in confusion. He narrowed his eyes. "Lancer." A piece of paper slapped his face.**

"Still think it was Lancer," said Tuck with narrowed eyes.

**The scene suddenly cut to the Teachers' Lounge. Mr. Lancer's voice could be heard.**

**"Esteemed Casper High faculty, I present to you your all-steak"—he pulled off the table cloth—"buffet!" It revealed...empty plates, with one single bone being left-over on a plate.**

**The faculty gasped.**

**" _Paradise Lost!"_ Lancer cursed.**

"So that's where they were from," Tucker breathed, comprehension dawning in his face. "Wait." He turned to Danny. "How did you know all of _this,_ and not tell me?"

"But I didn't!" replied Danny. "I'm just as clueless as you are."

**The scene changed back to a now fully-meaty Lunch Lady who was walking toward the three stunned teenagers.**

**"PREPARE TO LEARN WHY MEAT IS THE MOST POWERFUL OF THE FIVE FOOD GROUPS," she roared to Sam. "Cookies?"**

**Sam slowly moved her head left and right.**

**The meat monster exploded in anger."AND PERISH!"**

"I was in a state of shock back then but jeez, was she ever this dramatic?" muttered Sam.

**Danny quickly moved in front of Sam. "Forget it! The only thing that has an expiration date here is YOU!" He emphasized his words by pointing at the ghost.**

The elder Mansons turned their gaze to the boy hero silently, further appraising their own assumptions about the youngest Fenton.

**However, Danny accidentally turned back to his human form. "Wooops," uttered Danny worriedly. "I...didn't mean to do that."**

**Their opponent lifted one meaty hand up and snatched Danny in her grasp.**

Jack and Maddie gasped.

**She proceeded to throw him toward Tucker's position against the lockers. They tumbled down amid pieces of papers. Then the ghost grabbed Sam before flying out of the hallway, a trail of meat following her wake.**

**"Come on!" exclaimed Tucker. "Change back! We gotta go—"They were suddenly grabbed from behind.**

**"You TWO, aren't going anywhere," growled Mr. Lancer.**

**"Told you you'd pay, Fenton," said Dash, who had shown up with the teacher. He was still covered in mud. The screen went black after showing a shot of Danny's panicked face.**

"But what about my Samantha!" Pamela wailed, glaring at Danny and the Fentons as she did so.

"Still here!" called out Sam sarcastically. "Didn't know you cared," She muttered under her breath. Danny shot her a worried look.

**It was back at Casper High again next. Danny and Tucker sat in Lancer's office as the teacher retrieved their records. Dash smirked from his position leaning against the wall.**

**"Tucker Foley," Lancer began. "Chronic tardiness, talking in class, repeated loitering by the girl's locker room"—Tucker smiled—"Danny Fenton, thirty four dropped beakers in the last month, banned from life from handling all fragile school property, but no severe mischief before today."**

The real-Tucker started to smile as well before a cough from his mother stopped him. " _Repeated loitering by the girl's locker room?_ We'll talk about this later, young man."

**"So, gentlemen, tell me" he said pleasantly before, "WHY DID THE TWO OF YOU, CONSPIRE TO DESTROY THE SCHOOL CAFETERIA!?"**

**"Dash started it!" claimed Danny in panic. "He threw—"**

**"—four touchdown passes in the last game is thereby exempt from scorn," finished the teacher. "You two, however, are not. I'll map out your punishment when I return." He exited the room, instructing Dash to watch the door. It was promptly shut behind him.**

"That isn't right." Maddie frowned. "Even if Danny wasn't the one who throw the first mud, Dash can't get away bullying his peers. I'm going to have a talk with your school principal."

"It may not be needed anymore, Mrs. F. Dash is probably regretting all those time he bullied his hero"—Tucker shrugged—"And Lancer's shameless meat hoarding's been exposed. Yeah!"

Sam rolled her eyes.

**"We gotta find Sam," Tucker said, standing up out of his chair alongside Danny. "For some reason I feel like I got her kidnapped."**

**"Maybe because you told the ghost she changed the menu? How about that?" asked Danny, annoyed.**

**Tucker suddenly sniffed the air again.**

"If Danny-boy calls his sense the 'ghost sense', then Tucker can call his smelling ability as the 'meat sense'!" suggested Jack out loud.

Some people chuckled.

**"That steak is still in the building. 200 yards, tops."**

Jazz blinked. "That's...surprisingly useful."

**Danny walked over to the security monitors, trying to find a clue.**

**"Check it out." He pointed at the monitor showing the school storage room. There was a wet slime on the floor near the pork and beef containers. "Meat trail."**

**Danny braced himself and triggered his transformation.**

"Woo-hoo!" A sound of excited clapping was heard. "Gosh! That was cool!"

"I know, right?!" Jack boomed while he looped an arm around Maurice's shoulder. "Go get 'em, Danny-boy!"

Danny groaned as his friends started snickering _again_.

**The Phantom on the screen grabbed Tucker's arm before diving intangibly through the floor. Only seconds afterward, Mr. Lancer returned, bringing a mob, and opened the door.**

**"Gentlemen, your punishment would be"—his eyes widened seeing the empty room—"WORSE than you can imagine!" the teacher bellowed.**

"That was amazing timing," said Jazz.

**Meanwhile, Danny and Tucker stood at the entrance of the storage room.**

**"Sweet mother of mutton!" exclaimed Tucker with stars in his eyes. "I dreamed of it." He opened up his arms wide to hug a meat container. "But I never thought I'd live to see it!"**

**Danny approached his friend. "How is it that I have the ghost powers and you're the weird kid?"**

This amused a lot of people in the Fentons' living room.

**Then a sinister laugh was heard. Danny and Tuck peeked around a corner to see the Lunch Lady holding Sam hostage under a hulking heap of meats. She was buried up to her neck in the mass.**

**"My dear child, meat is good for kids," said the Lady sweetly. "It helps them grow and makes them smile. Why won't you eat it?"**

**"We don't need meat," stated Sam. "That's fat!"**

**"—** and proteins which are good for the body," corrected Angela. "A balanced amount of fat is good for everyone." Tucker turned and gave his mom a thumbs-up.

**Predictably, that pissed off the ghost. "SILENCE! You need discipline! Manners! Respects!" She pointed a finger at Sam threateningly. "You know where that comes from? MEAT!"**

**Although, as becoming more characteristic for her, she held up a drumstick and a fish in each hand, and asked with abrupt kindness, "Chicken or fish?"**

Many snorted.

"She's actually hilarious discounting the fact that she tried to kill our kids," quipped Maurice.

**From behind some containers, Danny said decisively, "I'll take care of the ghost. You just find a way to get Sam out of that pile of meat!"**

**"Way ahead of you," answered Tucker, pulling out a fork and a knife.**

**Determined, they charged from their hiding place. Danny quickly flew forward and delivered a hard right hook to the unsuspecting Lady's back, using his forward momentum to power his punch. The ghost was blown away several feet, her back hitting a far-off wall and slumped to the ground. Danny landed in front of her form crouching.**

**Meanwhile, Tucker was busy cutting a slab of meat with all the grace of someone eating at a dinner's table.**

**"I'll have you free in no time, Sam!"**

**"You've got to be kidding me," said the girl flatly.**

The people watching snickered at Tucker. Pamela shook her head and sighed, putting her head on her palms.

"Well," said Tucker uncomfortably, "Mom's the one telling me to eat meat with Foley-style."

" **—** in a more appropriate time!" scolded Angela, albeit winking at him when she caught his eyes.

"Hush," whispered Jack. "The action begins again."

**From his crouch, Danny rose up to the air, did a graceful somersault, aiming a kick at the ghost's face—only for his ankle to be caught in the last second. The Lunch Lady quickly raised up from her position and dangled Danny upside-down.**

**"Don't you see? This is why you need meat! You're skin and bones!" she yelled as she flung the ghost boy out. Knowing that it was going to hurt if he hit the ground, Danny concentrated activating his intangibility, successfully managed to drop harmlessly with his body being half-through the wall.**

**The Lunch Lady was relentless. She gestured with a glowing hand to a box of SHISH KEBOB, making the box float as it opened. The shish kebabs inside accelerated toward Danny, who split his body in a half. The kebabs flew through. Danny looked surprised at _that_ particular ability. **

**Next, the hostile ghost gave a tremendous roar as she lifted up both arms and made all the meats in the storage burst out of their containers. They raised up to the air. Danny quickly reattached himself in preparation.**

**Tucker, who was still busy chewing, stared at the fleeing meat wave uncomprehendingly. Sam was freed.**

**The mass amount of meats formed a hurricane, attaching themselves to the ghost controlling them. The Lunch Lady had become a giant meat monster. She threw one meat-arm out to grasp Danny, her reach considerably elongated.**

**"Help's on the way, buddy!" cried out Tucker, armed with his knife and fork.**

"Behold the mighty power of kitchen silverware!" laughed Sam.

 **"** Hey! You know I can be heroic if I want to," joked Tucker. However their eyes were avidly watching the screen.

**Danny was thrown again but he turned intangible to avoid collision with the wall. With Danny out of the way, the meat monster roared at the remaining humans.**

**"Run?" Tucker asked.**

**"Run!" And they were off, the monster hot on their trails. They barely missed getting hit by a missile of meats, when Danny appeared from the wall looking dazed. Seeing his fleeing friends, he quickly launched himself off. The Lunch Lady was about to pummel Sam and Tucker to death as Danny grabbed their waists from behind, turning them intangible, and they escaped through the wall. The meat monster slammed into the wall and disintegrated.**

**Danny, Sam, and Tucker escaped to the outside world. Danny's eyes dropped as he was flying them through the air.**

**"Gee Danny," Sam said looking at him worriedly. "Fighting meat monsters, flying through walls, you must be exhausted."**

**"What? Of course not," denied Danny. "What would..."—eyes closing as he finished off quietly—"give you that idea."**

**And they tumbled to the ground. Danny changed back to human.**

"My baby!" Maddie gasped and moved to embrace him.

"Mom, please," pleaded Danny getting thoroughly smothered.

"I have a question," Jeremy said looking at Danny. "How did you learn fighting that way? I never figured you being athletic."

"Um... Sam, Tucker, and I did some practice with my powers after the accident. And when I found out I could fly **—** well, I was so excited that I'd float around my room at nights trying out some really cool moves." Raising a hand to rub the back of his neck, Danny grinned sheepishly. "Though I was freaking out all the way 'cause it's my first one you see... and the Lunch Lady almost had Sam and Tucker. I guess the rest is instinct after getting the powers. But," Danny shrugged. "When you see your friends being attacked by ghosts, you're gonna have to fight."

His face reddened seeing the proud smile on his father's face.

"For you," Jeremy replied, giving the blue-eyed boy a piercing glance. "especially if it's my daughter."

Meeting the man's eyes evenly, he said, "Yes, especially for your daughter."

Someone coughed and their attention went back to the TV.

**The scene had changed to Fentonworks. It was nighttime when Jazz opened up the front door to a seemingly empty house.**

**"Mom? Dad?"**

**The door slammed shut by itself at the same time two smoke bombs were thrown at her feet. Before she registered it, the room (and camera) was enveloped in thick smoke.**

**"NOW MADDIE! HIT HER! I'M MOVING IN! GET MY BACK!" Jack's voice was heard shouting.**

**The smoke cleared to a scene where Maddie and Jack grabbed a hold of Jazz's feet each, and the Fenton Ghost Xtractor was sucking in the bottom of her hair.**

**They quickly let go.**

**"This is all going in the memoir," stalked off a pissed-off Jazz.**

"I spent a lot of time getting that vacuum out of my hair. You guys are lucky it didn't make me bald."

"We're sorry, darling," said Maddie, abashed.

"I've already had a solution for that, Jazzy-pants," interjected Jack suddenly. "the Fenton Supergrowth Serum! Worked like a baby speeding up a man's natural hair growth," he pointed to his curiously non-bald image on the screen.

His daughter could only shake her head.

**The door opened again to reveal Sam and Tucker, carrying an unconscious Danny between them.**

**"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton!" greeted Tucker a bit too enthusiastically. "What a school day! Poor Danny nod it off. We figured we'd just carry him all the way home and tuck him in his bed, without any parental interaction whatsoever!"**

Everyone snickered.

"Convincing," said Danny to Tucker.

"Dude, it's hard to lie while carrying your _heavy_ best mate to his house."

**"Don't get up!" chirped in Sam. "We know where to go. Bye!" They went upstairs to Danny's room.**

"That's not suspicious at all." Jazz grinned.

**Jack looked deep in thought. Maddie glanced at him. "Jack." She sighed. "Danny is not a ghost."**

**"You're right." The man narrowed his eyes at Jazz who was busy disentangling the Xtractor. "Jazz is."**

The room was filled with laughter. Maddie and Jack couldn't help but laugh at the screen-version of themselves.

**The next scene opened to show Danny starting to wake up on his bed.**

Maddie squeezed her son tighter.

"Mom...!" he gasped. "...can't...breathe...!"

"... oops sorry, sweetheart."

**"Ha huh..huh! What's going on!?"**

**"You passed out," explained Tucker. "We took you home! You've been asleep for four days!"**

**" _Four_ days!"**

**The techno-geek chuckled. "Nah..It's only for a couple of hours."**

_"_ Ha ha you're so funny," commented Danny, rolling his eyes.

"Can't help it! You're just so easy to bug."

**Sam was in no mood to joke. "Knock it off, Tucker! This is the second time today your carelessness has almost got him killed."**

**"Me?" exclaimed Tucker indignantly. " _I_ almost got him killed? The only reason this happens is because _you_ had to be unique. You had to take the meat away! And I'm gonna get it back!" he walked away. **

**"You wanna change that menu back?! You're gonna have to go through ME TO DO IT!" Sam followed after Tuck's retreating form, slamming the door shut behind her as she left.**

**Danny blinked.**

"Ah teenagers," sighed Jeremy. "The only time people can get off-focused after one heck of a ghost attack."

Sam raised hey eyebrows in mild surprise.

**"Ah well, I'm sure everything will be back to normal by tomorrow," muttered Danny to himself.**

"Don't jinx your luck," said Maurice.

**"—or not. Maybe it will be worse," said Danny the next day as he saw a festival of meats being held in front of school. People were carrying steak-shaped balloons while they eagerly watched a cook grilling barbecue right in front of them. There was a crowd of protesters holding up signs such as "Eat Meat!", "Meat is Neat", and "Meat gives you a butt!" while a stage held up a banner that said, "National Meat Society Presents 'The Weinerettes'". The Weinerettes were four hot-dog costumed dancer girls finishing their dance before Tucker appeared on the stage with a microphone.**

**"What do we want!"**

**"MEAT!"**

**"When do we want it!"**

**"NOW!"**

"This...I have to say is impressive." Jack winked to Tucker. "Let me help you when you decide to do one for fudge."

"Dad...," trailed off Jazz. "You need intervention with your fudge addiction."

Her brother nudged her side. "Make that... fudge-tervention."

That sent the room laughing. "You and your lame puns, Danny," sighed Jazz.

"Aw, c'mon! You all love it!"

**On the other side, another crowd was forming, baskets of fresh fruits and flowers were around them. They were holding up signs as well: "It's easy being GREEN!", "Give peas a chance!"; and a banner in front said, "Ultra Recyclo Vegetarian Casper High". They were also chanting, "VEGGIES NOW! VEGGIES FOREVER!" Sam was on a stage leading the chants.**

**"You guys put together two protests in one night?" asked Danny incredulously when Tucker and Sam approached.**

**"Meat eaters, Danny. Always ready to fight! And our high-protein diets give us the energy we need to do it quickly."**

**"Ultra-recyclo vegetarians are always ready to protest! And because we don't waste our time cooking our food, we can move even faster."**

"This is...a little bit extreme," commented Maddie.

"Have you ever tried one of those stir-fried vegetables you can always get from Chinese restaurants, Sam?," asked Jazz. "They're veggies but they're still cooked **—** and incredibly appetizing."

"Nah, I'm trying to reduce my consumption of oil. The less processed they are, the better it is for the environment, not to mention health!"

Tucker whispered to Danny. "Be careful, man. Your girlfriend most likely would turn you into a rabbit-eater by the time you're thirty!"

Sam sent a dangerous look at Tucker.

**"Don't you guys think this is a _little_ too extreme?" asked Danny. **

"Like mother like son," Maurice snickered.

**"No choice, buddy! Either you're with me—"**

**"—or you're against him!"**

**"So WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON!" demanded both vegan and meat-eater to the boy.**

_"_ Poor little brother," said Jazz laughing.

**However, the sky suddenly changed, signalling the beginning of a ghost attack. Wind was blowing to all directions as the Lunch Lady's sinister laugh echoed. A puff of cold air escaped Danny's mouth. A meat truck suddenly exploded—the meat inside shooting out and formed a gigantic tornado which morphed into a meat giant, much, much grander than the meat monsters the trio had faced before.**

"I remember seeing this in the news and thought that was an elaborate prank." Jeremy bit his lip worriedly.

**"LUNCH TIME!" thundered the giant.**

**People started screaming and running in fear. It was a chaos all around.**

**"Meat!" wailed Tucker. "Why have you betrayed me?"**

**"Guys!" Danny said, looking up. "Time to make up! NOW!"**

**Sam and Tucker promptly hugged each other, covering Danny in the middle. There was a flash of light and Danny Phantom appeared when they parted. He ran and took off to the air.**

"Whoa," everyone said, except Danny.

"Gotta admit," mused Sam. "That looks really cool in TV."

"Cool? This is even better than football!" guffawed the Foley patriarch.

"You three really have a good teamwork," said Maddie, smiling.

**At a secluded place near the school when the chaos happened, Jazz was trying to counsel a goth teenage boy.**

"Why is this even shown?" Jazz asked mortified.

"Because it's important to the story somehow...?" answered Tucker.

**"Spike, you have to open up to your parents. Be true to yourself _and_ them. Tell them how you feel. I mean, it's not like they're gonna attack you or anything."**

**A green net suddenly opened up and swallowed her afterward. Jazz screamed.**

"Oh the irony," Danny teased to his sister.

**She was dragged to ... Jack who was rolling in the rope behind a bush. "I got her!" the ghost hunter exclaimed. "And the Fenton Grabber is working like a charm!"**

**"I don't understand," said Maddie from beside Jack. "If Jazz is a ghost, why hasn't she phased through the net?"**

**"Because I AM NOT A GHOST," Jazz yelled, throwing out the net from her body. "You've ambushed me, suffocated me with smoke, and _worse_ —I was pulled away from Spike before he had his breakthrough! What do you have to say for yourselves?!"**

"If that was her primary concern, Jasmine will make a good psychologist," said Angela.

Jazz beamed.

**Jack's response was to aim a Fenton Thermos at her. "EAT. HOT. FENTON THERMOS, GHOST GAL!" But the device only gave a slight electricity spark.**

**Jazz glared.**

**"Hmph! Darn thing _still_ doesn't work."**

"Wait, the Thermos didn't work here. How did you then..." Maddie trailed off looking at Danny.

"You'll probably find out in a few minutes, Mom."

**In the meantime, Danny was hovering face to face with the meat giant. The giant threw a slow punch which Danny evaded easily. It was followed by a hook and an uppercut, both slow enough for the ghost boy to dodge. In retaliation, Danny gave a hard kick right to the face of the monster. The giant collapsed.**

**"He really is getting better," commented Tucker from the ground.**

"Thanks!" The two did a fist bump.

**Smiling at his two friends on the ground, Danny did not see the upcoming fist. He was slammed and sent flying miles away.**

**"I sure hope he can take a punch!" exclaimed a worried Sam.**

"Ouch," winced Jack.

**Inside a passing plane, a flight attendant was serving a passenger a glass of water. They were suddenly interrupted by Danny's intangible form passing from the bottom to the ceiling of the plane. He came back down and phased through again, grabbing the water out of the man's grasp.**

**"Thanks!" shouted Danny.**

"Was that...really necessary?" asked Maddie laughing.

"I bet the passengers thought they were hallucinating," exclaimed an amused Maurice.

**As he zoomed downward, Danny splashed the water on his face. The scene cut to Jack and Maddie who were in a staring contest with Jazz.**

**"I, Jack Fenton from this day forth do hereby turn my back on ghosts," the man relented.**

**A shot of Danny barreling to the meat giant was next. The slam was hard enough to send the meat flying everywhere, causing a big explosion which could be seen from Jack's position. Unfortunately, both ghost hunters and their daughter were facing away from it.**

Maddie, Jack and Jazz gasped.

**At the ground zero of the explosion, there was a crater, out of which the small form of Danny crawled slowly.**

"That must've hurt, son," said Jack as he stared fixedly at the screen.

"It really wasn't," Danny assured, exhausted of repeating himself continually. "Trust me."

**"Oh dear, what a mess. Are you okay?" asked the Lunch Lady who were watching a trembling Danny picking himself up.**

**"Yeah, I think so—"**

**"TOUGH!" she suddenly roared. "BECAUSE YOU BEING OKAY IS NOT PART OF MY BALANCED DIET OF DOOM!"**

"I'll show that bitch doom when I see her," growled Maddie the worried mother.

Everyone looked at her stunned.

"Should'a told your mom the secret sooner, buddy," muttered Tuck to Danny. "Imagine how scary she'd be to whoever harms her precious son."

"Tuck, no offense to her but I don't really need an over-protective mom on my back," muttered Danny back.

**Waves of meat came out of the crater, forming five mini-monsters in front of Danny. He immediately charged into the air. The meat monsters rushed forward to their opponent. Danny aimed a spinning kick, eliminating them simultaneously.**

"Excellent job!" applauded Maurice.

**However, they quickly formed back again.**

**"Wasn't expecting that!" said Danny surprised. Two rings of light suddenly transformed him back to human. "Or that."**

"Okay. Maybe I was a bit exhausted," explained Danny when he saw everyone's looks.

**The mini-monsters quickly surrounded Danny, regardless of his attempted to struggle. They grabbed him and flew to the air. Danny was dangling by his ankles.**

**"—And this thermos can't catch ghosts because ghosts don't exist," said Jack to his wife and daughter below. Jack threw the thermos carelessly.**

**It hit Danny's face as he was dangling and flying upside-down.**

"Ouch," muttered Jazz sympathetically.

"Sorry, son!" called out Jack.

"No, Dad. Look at what happened next!"

**"The Fenton Thermos!" exclaimed Danny catching the object. "But how am I gonna get it to work!?"**

"Yeah how?" asked Maddie.

Danny rolled his eyes and gestured at the screen.

**The meat monsters let go of Danny—the boy free-falling to the ground screaming.**

**"Change back, change back!" concentrated Danny.**

"Yeah change back!" said Jazz gripping the edge of her seat.

**A flash of light then Danny became Phantom again. The meat monsters looked on surprised.**

There was a few cheers and relieved sighs around the room.

**They wasted no time charging back though, while Danny turned his body intangible and phased through the ground right in front of his family.**

**"Thanks for the thermos!" he exclaimed.**

**Jack gaped.**

"Good job, dude. You're setting the example for kids watching this to say thanks in _every. single. opportunity,"_ Tucker said smirking.

**"HAH! Ghost kid!" exclaimed Jack excited. "I was right! You were wrong! Ghost exist"—he said in a sing-song voice, then laughed—"I never doubt it for a second"—before the three were buried by the falling pile of meat.**

"Dad enjoyed telling you being wrong way too much," smirked Danny to Jazz. "But I would've too in his shoes."

"Oh shut up."

**Phantom phased back out to face the Lunch Lady, holding the thermos in his hand.**

**"NO! SOUP'S NOT ON TODAY'S MENU!"**

**"I'm changing the menu!" retorted Danny. "Permanently!" He opened the lid of the thermos. "Please work."**

**Aiming it at the lunch ghost, he exclaimed, "I hope I'm right!" An ice-blue aura surrounded him and suddenly, the thermos worked! It sent a beam which netted the Lunch Lady. She was sucked in, screaming "NO!" all the way. Danny transformed back to human and shut the lid.**

Many people in the room automatically cheered.

"Guys!" Danny called embarrassed.

"Sorry, sonny. Didn't realize we're so into the show," grinned back Maurice. "That was awesome by the way!"

"Hmmm," mused Maddie after a pause. "If I'm not mistaken, that thermos suddenly worked due to your powers."

Everyone looked at the ghost boy questioningly. Danny, however, looked puzzled. "I dunno. I just concentrated and it happened. I can't explain my powers that well."

"Perhaps, sweetie, we could do something to help you learn about them."

"Um...maybe..." trailed off Danny.

**Danny went over to help Sam and Tucker who had been thrown over when the explosion happened.**

**"What happened?" Sam exclaimed. "Where's the ghost?"**

"Can you believe we missed all the action?" commented Sam.

"Were you guys knocked out? I'm sorry I was too busy with the Lunch Lady," asked Danny frowning.

Exchanging glances with Sam, Tucker said, "Nah, we're just too groggy to watch."

**"My parents have their moments," Danny said smiling at the thermos.**

"I told ya," he said looking at them. Jack and Maddie smiled.

**There was a beeping sound. "Ghost. Directly ahead," the automated voice of the Fenton Finder intoned. Danny quickly hid the thermos behind his back as his parents approached the three.**

**"You have to be some sort of moron to not notice the ghost directly ahead." Jack stared at the radar, then at Danny in front of him.**

Many people chuckled.

**The parents frowned.**

**"Aw, sorry Dad," Danny said. "You just missed him." He pointed his thumb at something away behind him.**

"Aw, son," pouted Jack.

Danny shrugged. "Sorry Dad."

**"We got a runner!" Jack exclaimed before he and his wife hurried to chase the "ghost".**

**"Great," said a frowning Jazz. "Back to square one." She stalked off in anger.**

"Jasmine was the one getting the short end of the stick in this case," said Angela.

**"So," began Tucker. "You're not gonna tell 'em?"**

**"I think I might've finally figured out what these powers are for. They make me—" A large hand suddenly grabbed Danny's shoulders.**

**"—in a world of trouble," growled Mr. Lancer.**

"Ah, so that's when you decided to use your powers for good," nodded Jazz, filing away the information for further psycho-analysis.

"Good choice," Jeremy commented as Pamela raised an eyebrow beside him. "Great powers bear great responsibility after all, Daniel."

"Wow, this is a surprise," muttered Sam quietly. "Though he totally stole that from Uncle Ben. I wonder..." She narrowed her eyes in thought at her father.

"By the way, 'tis the second time we see Lancer having a hilarious timing," grinned Tucker.

**It was night time when the trio did their punishment at the school.**

**"Manson!" bellowed Lancer through a megaphone. "Pick up that T-Bone!"**

Sam groaned.

**"With my hands?" on-screen Sam asked disgusted.**

**"Foley! Pick up that turf-wich!"**

"Say it once again, ew...," said Tucker.

**"With my hands?" Tucker said wrinkling his nose at a turf sandwich.**

**Meanwhile, Lancer happily took a bite from a meat drumstick, before leaving. Dash was once again assigned as the watch dog. Leaning back on a dumpster, he smiled snidely at Danny who was mopping the meat left-overs on the ground.**

**Dash laughed gleefully.**

"That kid's got an ugly laugh," frowned Jack.

" **—** and ugly personality too," muttered Maddie in anger.

**Danny went behind the dumpster and wordlessly put a hand on it. The dumpster went intangible; its content full of smelly meat and junk fell on the oblivious laughing jock.**

Everyone in the room laughed. Some even clapped gleefully, particularly the satisfied elder Fentons.

**Dash's laughter stopped. "Fenton!" he exclaimed in panic. "A little help!"**

"And Danny said nope!" said Maurice, laughing.

**"Whatever you say, Dash," smiled Danny. "Whatever you say." He smirked, turning his eyes green looking at the camera, as the screen closed off.**

**"** Huh?" said Danny. "I was only staring at thin air."

"Why?" Tucker smirked.

"Because..." Danny's cheeks turned red, "...reasons."

The kids laughed.

"Thought you were being cool, even though no one's watching?" teased Jazz.

"Hey! It made a great ending to the show. And well, Tucker and Sam were there."

"Not watching," said Tucker and Sam together, snickering.

The adults smiled watching the interaction.

.

"Great show aside, don't you think this is an invasion of privacy? I don't know about you, but I certainly never expected the viewing to be this detailed," said Angela, frowning.

"Well, there is a ghost behind this, Mrs. Foley," replied Danny. "What can we do now? It's not like we can demand Amity Park News to stop airing it. Uh...can we?"

Jack nodded. "How 'bout this? Son, your mother and I will be going to their studio first thing tomorrow morning. Don't you worry anymore. We'll right 'em up in no time," he said confidently.

"And I'll be calling my acquaintance tomorrow," said Jeremy. "My daughter's privacy is also at stake here."

"Hmmm...," mused Maddie. "I certainly don't mind knowing what's going on in your life, Danny. But I'd rather get a copy for us and nobody else."

They looked at the TV screen that was now showing the evening news. Pamela reached for the remote and promptly shut the TV down.

"It's getting late. Jeremy and I are having a company breakfast tomorrow. I'm afraid we must take our leave." She pulled out a phone and dialed her driver. "Samantha darling, you remember our deal."

Sam, who had pulled out a black-and-purple sleeping bag, sighed.

 _"Really_ , mom? I thought you weren't upset anymore!"

"I never did give you permission, young lady."

"Who says I need _your_ permission?"

"And we had a deal that your father and I wouldn't say anything bad about your _boyfriend_ ," Pamela hissed the "boyfriend" part, looking at Danny from the corner of her eyes. "As long as you comply with us until tomorrow night!"

"Sam," Danny muttered quietly. "What did you do?"

Sam gave a low growl as she started to pack in her bag. "I'm sorry you have to hear that, Danny," she said, looking away. "Look, I'll see you at school alright?"

Then she looked up and kissed him, performing one last act of rebellion before leaving. Pulling away from the dazed-looking Danny, Sam grinned wickedly as she slung her bag over her shoulder and followed her mother to the front porch.

Jeremy was the last to follow. "Well," he said awkwardly to everyone present. "It's been a good night. I really thank you for your hospitality, Jack," he nodded to the elder Fenton, "and Madeline."

Passing Danny as he walked, he murmured, "Listen, Daniel. My wife can be, to say simply, a _very_ stubborn woman. Take my advice, don't take it to heart what she'll say and do these coming days." He paused, looking at the boy with a small smile. "You're a good kid. Between you and me" **—** the man looked behind warily as if expecting his wife to pop up from behind **—"** you have my approval dating my daughter."

He then turned his back and quickly walked to the waiting limo, leaving a gaping Danny behind.

.

"Did...did you guys hear that?" he turned to his smiling family and the Foleys, grinning widely.

"Congrats, Danny," Tucker cheered. "One down, one more to go! If she's as stubborn as Sam, you're screwed, man."

Danny's smile dimmed.

"Buck up, son!" Jack comforted. "You'll win them over. I know you will, and be happily ever after with that spooky-ooky girl."

"Her name's Sam, Dad." Danny laughed. Jack winked at him.

"Oh well, Fentons!" Maurice said, stretching. "We'll also be off then! You know... lots of work to do."

Angela rolled her eyes, "If by work you mean watching that football match..." She smiled at Maddie, "Thank you again for having Tucker tonight, Mads, and for earlier. I've learned things I didn't even know about my son...and about yours as well."

"Nonsense, Ang. You know this is routine for them. And you'll do the same," waved Maddie off.

"Exactly. That's why I propose you coming over to our house tomorrow night! We'll watch and eat popcorn together!"

Tucker and Danny grinned at the suggestion.

"Your house?" asked Maddie. "Are you sure? We don't want to be a bother."

"Nonsense!" Angela grinned. "I'll see you Fentons tomorrow then. Tucker darling, don't forget to brush your teeth before sleeping, okay?"

Tucker's cheeks colored. "I know. I'm already sixteen, mom!"

"I know, baby."

Danny snickered. He quickly quieted down when his half-ghost sense heard Maurice humming the "Danny Phantom theme song" under his breath as the Foleys exited the house. He sighed in relief seeing that neither his parents, Jazz, nor Tucker notice _that_ potential embarrassment.

"Alright, now the house's quiet," said Maddie clasping her hands. "Whew, who knows that watching a show is this tiring?"

Jazz yawned. "I'm off to finish my school preliminary research before my body shut down. I'll be in my room. Night everyone!"

"Your sister's crazy," whispered the techno-geek.

.

"Hey, Danny," Tucker said that night as they lay under the glow-in-the-dark little stars decorating Danny's ceiling.

"...Hmmm?"

"Did'ya notice the sound effects as we're watching earlier?"

"Uh...you mean that...that song?"

"That and more. They're good, whoever behind the editing, they're hella good."

"...yeah, go to sleep, Tuck."

"They must be like...extremely motivated to do so one day just after you said the ghost attacked."

"..."

"Danny?" Tucker looked over to see the other boy asleep. He sighed.

"Or, they must have a lot of incentives to do so," muttered the boy darkly. Tucker looked at the best friend he had since kindergarten.

"Don't ya worry, Danny. I will always have your back."

**.**

.

 

"How are you handling this, K?" A white-suited man said from his leisurely position behind a polished dark mahogany desk. A slim projector was in front of him. A bucket of half-finished popcorn was the only thing out of place on the official-looking desk.

"Good sir! Smaller channels are showing re-runs. We've been working all night."

"Good." He remarked. "Continue and observe. I want our agents to learn _everything_ there is about the boy. His strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly," he paused as he leaned to the monitor showing K's impassive face, "how we're going to use it for our noble cause."

The man opened a thin portfolio file, revealing the contents inside: two mug shots of Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom each, a slip of paper depicting Danny Fenton's basic credentials, as well as a newspaper clipping.

**PHANTOM REVEALED AS GHOST HUNTERS' SON**

**The Ghost Boy is a Not-So Dead After All!**

He traced the black-inked headline.

"Danny Fenton, a ghost or a boy? Hah! What a joke," he scoffed. Getting up from his chair, he opened up the blinds on his window. The office was situated at the higher levels of the grey building, but his position guaranteed him a spot to have one which directly faced a public park. A couple were cycling on the well-beaten path—both wearing a synchronized black T-shirt with the infamous DP symbol at front.

"Some people might've been fooled by your charade, but that won't be for long." He smirked, a ray of sunlight reflected on his dark shades. "Enjoy your fame while it lasts, ghost kid."

.

.

**To be continued in "A Date with Dragons" a.k.a. Parental Bonding.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Shadowprints asked me whether or not I will be doing each episode or skipping to random ones. Well, my current plan is to do it episode by episode, especially the Season 1's "Magnificent Nine" eps because they're rather important establishing plot. Remember that I have the whole Amity Park (and world) watch the series. This is going to be interesting because it WILL definitely have consequence for Danny and friends. Also, while I admit that there is a possibility it'll bore you down ('cause one single episode like this is freakin' long), I'll try to utilize plot conflicts/exchanges of characters in order to interest you guys. :)  
> .  
> There are some additional notes in my profile if you're interested. They're just too long to be pasted in this chap.  
> In saying that, your reviews, critiques, and supports are invaluable to me. Tell me what you think, ok? :)


	4. A Date with Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:   
> I do not own Danny Phantom.   
> Since I'm getting increasingly paranoid about breaking some copyright rules (this work is vulnerable since it adopts the show's materials rather heavily), I must stress that I am trying my best to treat the show materials as a sort of novelization if you will. I have no intention to undermine the works of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. I am merely trying to enhance them.

Chapter 4: A Date with Dragons

.

Danny gasped, breathing a cold puff of air. He blinked half-lidded eyes in the darkness of the room. The sound of a snore rang out next to him. He rubbed his eyes. Sitting up and gently disentangling himself from the blankets, so not to wake the slumbering Tucker, he waded across the carpeted floor to his window.

The ghost sense startled the boy once again, indicating the nearing presence of a ghost. Although he was in a half-awake state, he almost smiled. _Been too long since a ghost attack_ , a part of Danny remarked eagerly — the part that was always dominant when he was Phantom, _except for the previous one where I got my ass kicked_. There was also something in him which had unconsciously waited for a 'misplaced aggression' opportunity, most likely due to his disappointment in himself for not handling the past few days' situation better.

Danny had been told that his aura as Phantom brought a certain feeling of cold for the surrounding humans. For that reason, he avoided transforming outright as was the norm for him when he was alone, but chose to open the latch to his window — Danny winced when it gave a slight creak — and stepped one foot on the railing, then he summoned the white-blue rings and Phantom immediately flew to the night air.

.

The ghost boy looked around, flying in circles in the area where his ghost sense had directed him to. It was not the first time that he regretted his sense not being equipped with some kind of radar detection, because currently there was no sign of a ghost. It was quiet, only the faraway sounds of vehicles from the main streets were heard. _Too normal_ , Danny thought, shoulders slumping as he sighed in disappointment.

But his ghost sense had never failed him before. He couldn't just leave the place alone if there was even any _slight_ possibility that a ghost might be around. If he did so, he would be lucky if it was only the Box Ghost, but Danny knew he wasn't usually that lucky.

"Hello…? You there, ...ghost?" he called out, feeling a bit stupid talking to no one.

"Well…whoever you are, if you're here to attack somebody, which is usually me, let's get this over with. As much as I love this game of hide and seek, I have school tomorrow," he continued, annoyed.

.

"Dipstick," growled a voice behind him.

Danny immediately turned around to find Ember floating above the rooftops. She was armed like she usually was, with her guitar. Her expression was murderous — and it was directed at _him_ — but curiously, even in the darkness of the night Danny could see her disheveled appearance, heavy mascara looking smudged like she had wiped her eyes repeatedly, and the bloodshot eyes.

"Ember?" questioned Danny. He cocked his head on one side and crossed his arms. "Look, I'm in no mood to deal with you, okay? What happens to the concert thing you usually use?"

She narrowed her eyes into slits. "That's because YOU STOLE ALL MY FANS AWAY!"

"Wait, what?" Danny backtracked. " _I_ stole your fans away? Are you crazy!? Last time I checked, I don't sing or play guitar!"

"No, you dratted brat! I was actually waiting to regain my full powers first, but this will have to do!" She readied her guitar and blew an ectoplasmic note at Danny. He swerved to dodge. Danny charged an ectoblast in one hand and shoot at her. At the same time, Ember quickly turned a knob in her guitar, sending waves of energy at her opponent. They met in the middle, causing a backlash to both fighters. Both Danny and Ember were sent flying back.

Danny had intentionally avoided using a dual-charged ectoblast against her. He was proven right when her strongest guitar attack was only the equivalent of his single-handed shot. He thought quickly. _I have to take her guitar away._

"What's the matter, dipstick? Afraid to hit a girl aren't ya? Too bad! 'Cause this girl's gonna wipe your ass off!" sneered Ember, grabbing her guitar and swinging it at Danny's head. He swiftly ducked and grabbed her upper arms, then pushed downward to pin her against a rooftop. Her guitar lay next to them, out of her reach.

"You're not at your full powers!" yelled Danny to the rock star's angered face. "Fine! You have a grudge against me which I have _no_ idea whatsoever. And I'm glad you're not attacking or hypnotizing any human tonight — so can we just resolve this quietly and you go back to the Zone?"

"Not a chance, Phantom," hissed Ember. She brought her knees up and kicked Danny in the groin. Danny groaned, doubling over. She managed to grasp the handle of the guitar and quickly blew a note at the boy, making him blown backward. The force made the half-ghost fly upward for a moment before gravity pulled him down. Danny crashed on a lamp post. It bent upon impact against the body.

Ember landed near the prone half-ghost, savoring her victory. "It's all your fault! YOU RUINED ME! Because of you, I can no longer get my powers even in the Zone! They won't say my name anymore! Every ghost is obsessed with you, Phantom! I am going to stop that by eliminating YOU!" With that, she readied a final blow.

Danny opened up his befuddled eyes from his position on the ground. He barely mustered enough brain function to register Ember's anger-fueled blast going straight at his face. Going by instinct, his hands acted conjuring a green shield deflecting the blast. Danny rolled out of the way when a second blast was sent in his direction. Before Ember could follow up her attacks, he performed a roundhouse kick, sweeping Ember off her feet. She fell down on her back — her guitar was flung out of her hands, now unreachable.

Danny rose to his feet and immediately activated his cyrokinesis, hurling four small freezing snowballs rapidly at Ember's wrists and ankles respectively.

"Now we talk," he said, staring down at the struggling rock star.

.

.

"So what's it about ghosts obsessing over me?" asked Danny incredulously.

Ember shot him a hot glare as she continued to struggle against her icy bonds. "Like I'd tell you, _dipstick._ " She uttered the word like it was a personal curse for her.

The ghost boy threw both of his hands up in the air. "This is insane! Don't you know that'll only make my job more difficult? I can't. deal. with more ghosts attacking the town! Why don't you guys stay where you are and be done with it?!"

"Who said anything about your little town?" Ember snorted. "As if we ghosts have nothing better to do than play with a babypop. What am I saying? Those _idiots_ really have nothing better to than watch the crap Technus put up.

"Hold up. You're making no sense. Idiots? Technus and….his crap? What the heck is the matter with you, Ember?" Danny was torn between his confusion and the urge to laugh hysterically. _Forget it, I'm way too exhausted to try making sense with her,_ Danny thought tiredly, intending to end the impromptu interrogation session. He reached for the thermos fastened on his belt.

"Ah, you really didn't know, don't you?" said Ember smirking. "Poor Danny," she said with a babying voice. "Your cluelessness could be adorable if not for the fact that _your crap_ is practically being watched all over the Zone!" Danny stopped short, one hand on the lid of the thermos.

"Ember, what is…—what's being watched by the Ghost Zone?" He asked, dreading the answer. _Please no, please no. Anything but **that** ,_Danny chanted inwardly. But his prayer went unanswered.

"Why, of course! It's that junk showing us every little moment of your life," she said enjoying the stunned horrified look on Danny's face. She had stopped struggling earlier when she realized that the half-ghost was truly, without a doubt, not faking his cluelessness of the situation at hand. Beating Phantom up would not undo the act that Technus had done anyway. That didn't mean she would not get her revenge on him, though. Her ghostly obsession prompted her mind to consider one option that would turn the situation in her favor.

"Oh no," Danny whispered. "Now my enemies know my deepest secrets. My life is officially over."

Ember rolled her eyes at the dramatic gesture. "If by deepest secrets you mean your relationship with that goth girl, we already know."

Danny was silent, only giving a half-hearted glare at the bound ghost.

Ember continued, "Technus has turned his lair into a kind of a viewing projector. We get to watch that meat woman making a fool out of herself in the human world. To think, if I were her," she grinned slickly, "I would've kicked your scrawny rookie ass to Indiana and back again. Now, I've already told you all I know. Would you please be so kind to release me out of these ugly things?" asked the diva sardonically.

"How do I know you're not gonna do anything bad around here?" Danny frowned, crossing his arms. "I prefer you coming with me to the Ghost Zone."

"In your soup container? No thanks. I'd rather be alive again." She raised an eyebrow. "Why're you such a worrywart? It's not like I can do anything worse without my full powers."

"Oh, I don't know," Danny shrugged. "Like taking over the airwaves and zombie-fied the people in town, so that you will have your powers again?"

"Drat, you figured out my plan," Ember said with mock surprise. "Listen, babypop. You and I both have a problem with our situation. You don't like your secrets being out, I don't like you taking my spotlight. Perhaps, we could make ourselves a _deal._ "

Danny plopped down to sit cross-legged next to the rock star. "I'm listening. But if this is one of your bad—"

"—why must you assume that everything I do is bad?" exclaimed Ember, exasperatedly. "In a show of my…good intention, Phantom, I'm going to come back to my lair, _voluntarily_ , and _immediately_ after this."

"You'll voluntarily let yourself be sucked into the thermos?"

"Not by the thermos, you doofus. I'll go by myself. On. my. own."

"O-kay," Danny said, stretching out the word. "Let's assume that I believe you. What do you want?" He idly formed a ball of hot ectoplasm in his palms, juggling it over from palm to palm. Ember's expression turned annoyed as her eyes followed the progression of the small ball – which was perfectly capable to get her out of her frozen predicament. "It's getting late after all," Danny yawned. "I can just suck you into the thermos and call it a night."

"Or," interjected Ember imperiously. "I can be your ally among enemies in the Zone. You'll never know what might happen after all."

Danny cocked his head to the side. "So you wanna be a friend. Then what's in for me?"

"Shut it, _dipstick_. I ain't looking to be one of your little friends. Gah, you sound as pathetic as Kempler! What I propose is my help to find out who's behind the viewing. Then everything will be right again ASAP," said the diva ghost. "You get your privacy back – or what's left of it anyway – and I get my source of power back. From the ghost zone _only_ ," she added hurriedly seeing his raised eyebrows at the last part of her insinuation.

He thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Ahem," Ember coughed. "You gotta free me first." Rolling his eyes, Danny aimed the ectoball in his palms to the four joints of the ice blocks. Ember was swiftly released, while the ghost boy kept his hands on his thermos in precaution. Ember picked up her weapon and jumped into the air.

"Relax, Phantom," Ember rolled her eyes as she started to float higher. "What good is my reputation as the Zone's greatest music star if I can't keep my words?" She suddenly grinned widely and clasped her hands. "At least I have a reason now to beat up that jerk Technus."

.

"Oh babypop!" she called out in a sing-song voice after a considerable distance had been formed between them. "Nice theme song! Not as good as ' _Remember'_ , but I'll be singing my rendition for my next concert! You're welcome to attend," she winked, "as long as you're not your usual party-pooper self!"

Danny stared at her retreating form, horrified, and then he groaned. "I should start getting used to have my self-esteem ripped to pieces!"

 

 

.

"Why do I get the feeling she's planning something else?" mumbled Danny to himself when he, as mildly as possible, was tucking himself into bed.

"Hmmm…tell Danny not to piss on the frozen treats….." Danny froze. "….to the mangos party, we're late…."

Unable to hold back his snickers, Danny looked at the source of the nonsensical rambles himself, the slumbering techno-geek who was in one of the only occasions not wearing the red beret. "A good blackmail material is always found at"—he squinted at the digital clock.

**3.27**

–"3.30 in the morning!?" he finished in horror. "Crud, I only have two hours for sleep." _Time flies when you're getting almost beat up by the ghost-of-the-week._

_._

"Dude, you seriously look like you need another cup of coffee," commented Tucker when they were flying invisibly together to school.

"Hmmm yeah," mumbled Danny, who was in Phantom form. "It's just…I feel so out-of-sort after only two weeks of break."

"Cut yourself some slack," smiled Tucker encouragingly. "Should'a woke me up though. I might be able to help you catch the ghost sooner."

"You were off to your own little world." Danny smiled. "Even saying out loud about some mangos party or something." They landed behind a bush near to the school's parking lot. It was Danny's usual place whenever he had his ghost situations. Phantom turned into Fenton.

"Ha ha," replied Tucker dryly. "Speaking of parties, according to my schedule"—Tucker grabbed his PDA and pressed some buttons —"tonight's show is probably about our school dance. It's when we met Dora the first time." He shrugged. "I suppose that's quite important enough to be shown."

"I'm just so angry that people treat my life as an exhibition!" _And not just people, ghosts too_ , Danny thought to himself.

"You should look at this." Tucker showed Danny his PDA screen. There were some graphs and pie charts displayed. "It shows if people viewed yesterday's show favorably or not. So far there is 86% of the population supporting you. That's major! …and look! Even the demographics are huge! People like what they've seen, Danny. You should be happy."

"For now, Tuck," Danny glanced sideways. "I'm still gonna find a way to stop this as soon as possible, before it gets out of hand, Tuck." Danny said as they quickly walked to the entrance, heads bowed to avoid unnecessary attention.

.

Danny and Tucker managed to slip in quietly. However, they stopped and gazed in amazement at the scene before them. "Whoa," murmured Tucker. "It sure does get out of hand."

It was like the time when the school population was obsessed with Ember McLain. Only this time, in the place of her blue and purple, there were black and white decorating the halls and the students' attires. Just below the ceiling, a banner hung with similar color-scheme. The words written were:

**Danny Phantom Screening: Watch and Dine-in Together**

…

 **All faculties and students welcome**  
6 pm tonight CHS Basketball Court  
_We provide snacks!_

**_._ **

It was just then a girl came up to the newcomers (Danny and Tuck included), handing out fliers. "Here's a flier for tonight's event. I hope you—" she stopped short realizing just who she was giving the slip to. Her eyes went wide.

"Uh oh," Danny muttered.

"EVERYONE, DANNY FENTON IS HERE!" she screamed, momentarily deafening the said boy's hearing.

.

There was a three-second pause as all eyes went to the door. Tucker and Danny, for their part, were frozen in shock. Then, chaos erupted.

.

"Oh my God, it's Phantom!"

"Yo', Danny man! You're way awesome!"

"Come join the football team!"

"NO! We'll have Danny for the end-year band performance!"

"I can't believe it's you all this time!"

"Can you sign my football jersey?"

"You kick butts, Fenton!"

"My pa said to give his regards to you for saving the school from Lunch Lady! Last night—"

"Danny! You're here! Let's get married! I wanna have your babies!" shouted a distinguishable voice with a Latin accent.

.

There was a silence as everyone looked at the figure of Casper High's very own beauty queen. She was not wearing her usual pink T-shirt. Her 'shirt', if it could be called as that, was black with white highlights, more resembling a bikini top than a crop top, because it had much lesser materials covering her body. Phantom's symbol was displayed on top. Her clothing – or the lack thereof – caused her midriff to be displayed in full-view, as well as her bare arms and her legs, which were not covered by the skin-tight leather black skirt that she wore. Tucker gulped beside Danny. Many boys in the hall visibly ogled the girl.

"Damn, she's hot," said Tucker numbly. Danny started to nod but stopped when he remembered Sam. Paulina stalked forward with the grace of a model on a rundown. Danny started to back away frantically. "Stop!" he yelled, putting both hands in front of him. "I'm dating Sam!" Tucker turned to look at his panicked friend, grinning to himself. It was comical. Danny was treating the girl he used to have a crush on as if she was a bloodsucking vampire. The techno-boy also stared at the surprised faces of the students.

"That's right, everybody!," he told the crowd. "My friend Danny and Sam have confessed their love to each other two weeks ago. That means I win the bet! Ha! Pay up's today, at the cafeteria," he said to the groans of some in the crowd.

"Excuse me?" Danny glared at his friend incredulously. "Tuck, you—" But he was cut short by the shriek of an angry girl.

"You–you're what!?" said Paulina, enraged. "No! No, it can't be! I am the one who should—"

"—be spending your afternoon in detention, Ms. Sanchez. Now cover yourself up or else, you are not allowed to come to class," interrupted Mr. Lancer who had appeared, suddenly, in his usual style. He eyed Paulina's get-up in a funny mix of horrified disdain.

The teacher crossed his arms and looked at the assembly. "Also, detention for anybody who is caught bothering Mr. Fenton and his friends today, and that"—he peered into the faces of despondent students—"includes talking to him about his alter ego, with the exception of Mr. Fenton's friends. Am I making myself clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Mr. Foley," the teacher nodded to Tucker. "I believe _I_ won the bet. You bet for sometime around their junior year. Mine's for the first half of this year. Since my bet is more detailed, I'm the winner." He grinned and sauntered off. "I'll be at the teacher lounge for break times." He called over his shoulders.

Danny gaped, and then crossed his arms. "Did he...and you... just—" Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, the front doors were slammed open.

Danny scowled, resigned. "I don't even know why I'm trying." Then he stared. A different Sam Manson walked forward, fists clenching in agitation, and a deep frown marred her face.

"Sam?!" Danny asked in shock.

The day saw not only Paulina having a heel-face turn in appearance. Instead of her usual all-black outfit, Sam was sporting a purple and white top. She had a light blue jean in the place of her usual skirt, but most noticeably, her boots were absent; there were two pairs of brown flats in its absence. Her hair was completely tied up in a ponytail. Her usual choker was missing.

"What. is. happening?!" exclaimed a panicked Tucker. "Has the world just ended?"

"My parents happened," growled Sam. "Don't ask," she continued, glaring at the students at large. She got many meek nods as a response. Everyone jumped hearing the class bell ringing.

.

"Saved by the bell, Sam," commented Danny in a hushed tone. They shuffled with the rest of the student body to their respective classes. "What happened? Is it about last night? You didn't reply to my text this morning."

Sam sighed tiredly. "This"—waving her hands over her body—"is the best compromise I have with my parents. I had to change at least dozens of times before they were satisfied! That's why I couldn't reply, Danny." Her expression turned apologetic.

"That's alright. I just worry about you," said Danny, then he immediately blushed. Sam stared at him, also with reddened cheeks. "You don't have to do this for your parents just because of me, Sam."

"Hey," began Sam awkwardly, "it's not only you who gets to be the hero all the time, right? I have to save you from my parents. Trust me they're the worst."

"They're not too bad." Danny said. "Your dad gave me permission to be with you last night."

"What?"

"Um, when you already left for the limo." Sam stopped her pace. Her mouth was open in surprise. Danny stopped with her, smiling.

"Ahem, lovebirds?" coughed Tucker who was a few paces ahead. "Our class, remember?"

"Oh yeah, right."

"On it, Tuck."

They hurried up to the class, but Danny and Sam shared a smile together.

.

The hours seemed to pass in a blur for Danny, Sam and Tucker. The students and teachers seemed to give them a wide berth — the students due to Lancer's warning, and the teachers due to them not knowing how to act around the three teens. However, one thing that the teachers had agreed upon was to give the trio some leeway now that they knew what Danny was doing. Danny was pleasantly surprised. During Math class, he was startled by his ghost sense. He'd raised his hand hesitantly ignoring the stares of his classmates. The teacher only raised an eyebrow in curiosity and nodded her head. He hastily exited the class, to the disappointment of the students who wanted to see.

The A-listers seemed to regard Danny warily, especially Dash who kept throwing uncertain looks at the ghost boy. Meanwhile, Paulina had sulked throughout the first period, and then she stopped when she realized nobody was particularly concerned about her, or even noticing it. She had to wear an unsightly teal blue sweater over her minimalist clothing, courtesy of Lancer. In the second period, she started to try catching Danny's attention, either by waving her hands – and smiled creepily when Danny was looking at her general direction – or, when that didn't work, by uncharacteristically making an effort to be noticed in class. This she did by raising her hand whenever the teacher asked them a question, despite not knowing the correct answer. Her hard work would have been noticed if not for Danny who was studiously ignoring her. Paulina's so-called satellite, Star, had given the trio an apologetic smile when they passed each other. Tucker returned the smile.

In spite of the day's rough start, Sam couldn't be more delighted.

There were some students still absent for the first day of school, one of them being Valerie. Danny couldn't help feeling glad when he learned of her absence. At least he could keep delaying an eventual confrontation with her until he was ready. Although, Danny doubted he could ever be ready.

.

"You're telling me Casper's hosting a screening event tonight?" said Sam when she was given the flier from the boys, at the cafeteria.

"You say it like it's a legitimate screening event," grumbled Danny. "It's just a way of saying, 'hey let's watch a half-ghost freak's life and go back to hating the geek when he screws up!'"

"Danny." Tucker rolled his eyes. "Quit it. It's getting annoying."

"Tucker's right, Danny," Sam added. "I'm the one who's dark and gloomy, not you."

"No, you're supposed to be bright and sunny today, Sam." Tucker snickered. Sam glared, muttering under her breath, " _Today_ , _just today_."

Danny only shrugged. "Well," Sam said after a pause, "now I know what I'm going to do tonight."

Tucker and Danny stared flabbergasted at her. "You're going to go to–to this?" choked Danny.

"Yeah, why not? I'm curious," countered Sam.

"I'm…I'm going with you then," offered Danny hesitantly.

"Oh Danny, you don't have to."

"I want to," Danny insisted. "My parents probably won't mind. I'm just…not going to leave you alone after all this time."

"Ah, I'm suddenly third-wheeling again," commented Tucker half-resigned. He grinned at their bashful looks.

Danny stared at Tucker, then at Sam, smirking meaningfully. Smirking herself, Sam nodded. Together they looped an arm each around the techno-boy's shoulders.

"Sorry sorry, I take it back!" exclaimed Tuck. "Help! My personal space's being invaded by these two knuckleheads!" They laughed. People stared at them curiously.

"Then I'm coming too. There's no way I'm watching alone with my parents _and_ yours, Danny," said Tucker, his head looking left and right at his two best friends.

"It's settled then," grinned Danny. "Jazz is going to be so mad we leave her with the parents."

"She always says she's psychologically an adult anyway."

"Okay. Confession time. My parents actually set me up for a dinner tonight. _Again_ ," Sam revealed. The two boys looked at her questioningly. She waved the flier in the air triumphantly. "It means I have a way to get back at my parents." said Sam, smiling rather evilly. Danny and Tucker immediately felt bad for the elder Mansons.

.

Meanwhile, Jack and Maddie were not having the greatest morning. They'd driven the Fenton RV to the Amity Park News office right after their teenage children went to school. Arriving at the parking lot of the building, they were refused entry at the lobby and were instead directed to the head security officer.

"It is not under my jurisdiction to give you clearance, Sir and Ma'am," the officer explained for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Then just let us speak with your superior!" exclaimed an increasingly exasperated Maddie.

"With all due respect, I cannot—"

"That's because they're too damn cowardly to face us!" bellowed Jack.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, we cannot tolerate such insults to our institution," said the officer scandalized.

"My son's story is being broadcasted to all by your beloved institution," Maddie retorted hotly. " _Without permission!_ I sure as hell don't tolerate that!" she finished shrilly.

"Let's see how you tolerate _this_ then," growled Jack dangerously. He pulled out a large, intimidating bazooka that was actually only designed to hurt ghosts, not that the officer was aware of that.

That was the story how Jack and Maddie were subsequently kicked out of the news building, out to the main street outside. Although both parents kept resisting, they were eventually overwhelmed by the arrival of extra security personnel, deployed at the head officer's request. They went home fuming.

.

"Such action...might be guaranteed, Miss Cattermole, but why did your boss refuse to see the Fentons in the first place?" Jeremy asked to his mobile phone, his forehead frowning in puzzlement. He was in a spacious office room where he usually operated the Manson dynasty's cellophane-twirling machines. The right side of the room was dominated by a huge glass wall overlooking the streets of Amity Park below, out of which the man was absentmindedly gazing. Over the shoulder of her husband, Pamela Manson sat on one of the lavish sofas, twirling her hair while she discreetly listened to the phone conversation.

"My interest? My daughter Samantha is deeply involved in what your company is profiting from. I will not stand by and let this happen," continued Jeremy. He started to pace back and forth, getting increasingly agitated.

"Then I'm looking forward to hearing from you _soon_. I am not a man to be disappointed, Barbara. I'll let your boss decide whether he wants to face against my lawyers." He swiftly closed the call. Jeremy rubbed his scalp in irritation, and then he turned around to face his wife.

Pamela raised an elegant eyebrow. "They're not withdrawing tonight's show, I take it?"

The man shook his head. "They got the Fentons kicked out of their premise, forcefully at that."

She had to snort at that. "I wouldn't put my lot with those jump-suited scums of the society. It's no surprise, really."

"Scums of the society? They're the family who saved the world! Honestly, Pam," Jeremy shook his head in frustration of his wife. There was a stony silence for a while.

Pamela slowly rose from her sofa. She approached her husband from behind and put her hands on his shoulder. Feeling the tension, she started to massage them gently. "We Mansons stick out for each other and thus, our line remains strong for many generations. Jeremy love, both you and Samantha deserve better than to be associated with those….trouble makers. The boy's trouble you understand that."

The husband deliberately walked away, out of his wife's reach. Pamela looked saddened. "You should learn to trust your own daughter's judgment. She's old enough to choose the troubles worth getting into," he said as a closing remark as he stepped outside and closed the office's double door units, leaving his wife inside.

Pamela continued to give a long look at the closed doors. She slowly smiled to herself. "Oh, but I'm trusting Sammy's judgment, my dear husband. I'm merely going to give her…options. She'll choose right when the time comes. You'll see… I'll be saving the Mansons line from the boy's unnatural blood."

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 17.30 p.m.**

If there was one single word to describe his feelings these past few days, it was nervousness. Dash Baxter was nervous. It was a foreign feeling for the usually confident quarterback. He went to sleep last night in jitters. He went to school dreading the day, even seeing Paulina in a totally hot outfit couldn't dissuade his worries. He waited anxiously for Fent-urd….no, Fenton's entrance. He jumped in surprise when he saw _his_ eventual entrance, unnoticed by everyone else. He bit his lip in worry seeing one of the cheerleaders (was Connie or Chloe her name, he couldn't recall) unconsciously approached Fenton and handled him the flier of the event — the event that Dash himself had organized through several well-coordinated efforts from the football team, A-listers, and the school faculty.

Dash couldn't bring himself to face his former bullying victim, but he sure could do something, _anything_ , for his hero – and that was using his popularity and connections to set up the said school event, so that Fenton might understand how much he'd come to respect and admire him. A small voice in his head had told him that his effort might not be all that appreciated by Fenton himself, after seeing that the half-ghost kept shooting their banner and campaign dismayed looks. _No way in hell_ , Dash argued. _I would've loved this if I were in his shoes. You can do nothing wrong with giving people a taste of your 'glory days', Baxter._

His stomach went flip-flopping when he heard – from the school's gossips later that day – that Fenton, Foley and Manson agreed to come tonight. He was overjoyed. Just maybe, he could finally bring himself to apologize whether publicly or privately. Even if he got the nerves to do so in the day, Lancer's threat wouldn't let him. And maybe, quite wistfully in Dash's opinion, he and Fenton could be friends.

Dash was already packed for the night's event. He had arrived right after his football practice to help with the preparation. It was rare for Dash to do something as passionately as he did football. _A screen projector, check_ , he listed mentally. _Chairs, beanbags, and pillows for people to sit on, check. A DVR and its remote, check._ Some of the nerds were already milling about, waiting for the show to start. There was a group of Casper band club students – another definition for losers in Dash's honest opinion – who had brought their band apparatus: cymbals, tambourines, and maracas for examples. Dash tapped his foot impatiently waiting for his posse to arrive.

"Dash." Somebody tapped him in the shoulder. Dash turned around. It was Paulina, his somewhat on-and-off girlfriend. Dash looked her over, trying not to linger at... _certain parts_ of her body. She was, thankfully, dressed in her normal way once again, after spending the day venting her frustration, about their English teacher, Fenton's off-handed behavior, and society in general, on the A-listers. Dash grimaced.

"Hey, Paulina. You're early."

"Of course I have to be early, Dash. I am going to meet my future husband after all," she smiled.

"Yeah, right." Dash coughed, disguising his scoff at the girl's increasingly delusional attitude. "Uh, isn't Fentonio with Manson now? Dammit, almost won the bet by this large." Dash held up his thumb and index finger closely.

Paulina's smile disappeared, but then an idea came over her. "How much will you bet me and Danny together? Oh, I'm sure I can get him tonight. What does goth freak have that I don't anyway?" She laughed.

"Uh," Dash deliberated, looking for a way out of the situation. "I dunno, Paulina. I don't have any spare change."

"That's okay," she remarked brightly. "You just gave me a wonderful idea. I'm gonna save a seat for myself and Danny." She walked off, her back swaying in a way that captivated Dash's eyes.

He wasn't jealous of Fenton. He really wasn't. Paulina and him –well, they used to be connected due to their shared fanaticism of Danny Phantom, besides being the undisputed leaders of the A-listers. It was not a problem before, seeing there was no chance someone human could be with a ghost who was...well, _dead_ , but now that the Ghost Boy was actually a human, and their classmate too ( _Surprise, surprise!_ thought Dash), everything changed. Dash liked Paulina. She was one of the only girls in school who understood that popularity wasn't to be taken for granted.

.

"Hey, is that Manson and Foley?" Somebody whispered. Many eyes turned to the doors, including Dash's. Sure enough, there were Manson (also dressed in her trademark goth clothes), to the relief of many, and Foley coming through.

"Why isn't Fenton with them?"

"Don't tell me Fenton isn't coming."

"He's prolly busy."

"They're his best friends. D'ya think I can get _their_ autograph? Screw Lancer."

The whispers in the room was cut off as the screen projector suddenly turned on, displaying the _Amity News_ channel. The room's lighting darkened, but before it did, Lancer and Principal Ishiyama could be seen beside the screen. Holding the remote, the English teacher scowled at the one who'd just insulted him.

.

Even though he was a bit disappointed – okay, maybe not a bit – because of Fenton's lack of presence, Dash laid back and made himself comfortable.

.

"Welcome to Amity Park News. In just a few moments, we're airing tonight's special program, _Danny Phantom: Exposed_. Because of the overwhelming responses from last night's special, we've prepared something different for tonight, that is we'll be showing four sets of twenty-five minute video each. Brace yourself and sit tight on your seats. It's going to be a bumpy ride!"

"Four sets?" Dash muttered to Kwan, sitting next to him. "This is gonna be interesting." Kwan nodded, grinning.

Principal Ishiyama gave a signal to distribute the prepared snacks. There were some quiet cheers.

Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker scowled.

"Danny's going to be upset," Tucker said, reaching for three cups of popcorn.

"I'm more worried about how much knowledge they have of Danny's life," frowned Sam.

.

**Foley's House, 18.10 p.m.**

"Oh, they're starting!" exclaimed Maddie Fenton.

Jack and Maurice both reached for the popcorn, put some in their mouth, and crunched noisily.

"Sssh," Angela glared at the two men.

"Sorry," they said comically together, heads bowing in bashfulness.

From her seat on the sofa, Jazz rolled her eyes. She had armed herself with a notebook and pen.

**The show opened with a shot of the Fentons' rather unique residence. Jack, again, was the first character to appear. He was wearing a funny soda-drinking hat while fumbling with a fishing pole. Suddenly, he turned around and started to fish...into the Ghost Zone's depth.**

**Danny came to the lab, saw what his dad was doing, and dropped his bag.**

**"Hey dad, what are you doing?"**

**"Danny, keep it down! You'll scare away the ghost. It's the Fenton Ghost Fisher! I'm fishing for ghosts."**

"Ghost fishing? Nice," said Maurice with snickers.

"You Fentons always have strange and fun ideas!" complimented Angela.

"Why thank you, Angie," beamed Maddie.

"Shame Danny-boy's not here," said Jack, a bit down. "Seeing this makes me miss him."

"Dad, you just saw him two hours ago."

**"Check out this line," said Jack, grabbing the said line — it was glowing slightly —and pulled. "Coated with a special high-test ectoplasmic resin that ghosts can't break. Quiet now, don't wanna... _spook_ them."**

Jazz groaned. "What is it with Dad and Danny, and their puns?"

"It's an art form, princess," replied Jack, grinning.

**Jack promptly threw the line to the Ghost Zone "pool" and slurped whatever drink he had on his hat. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "That soda goes right through you like Sherman through Georgia."**

**"Here!" Jack grabbed his son and put the Ghost Fisher in his hands. "Hang on to this. I'll be right back after I use the Fenton Urinal."**

"Fenton...Urinal?" said Maurice, laughing. He seemed to find everything today hilarious.

**Danny stared at the Ghost Fisher blankly. Suddenly, the line was pulled by _something_ in the Zone. Danny gasped as his ghost sense went off.**

"Okay, I wasn't expecting that," commented Jack.

**"Oh no," muttered Danny. He started to reel in the line but it then snapped. Danny could only watch as a large monstrous hand came out. It was the hand of a ghost dragon. The dragon stood in front of Danny, the fishing line was in its jaws.**

Maurice was wide-eyed in surprise. "Holy shit!"

Beside him, Jack nodded numbly.

**The dragon roared in anger. Danny gave a slight exclamation of fear. "I want to go!" rumbled the ghost. The boy ran away, dragon-ghost chasing after him.**

"Can I just have one moment when my boy's not in danger or being attacked?" asked Maddie, despondent.

"'fraid not, Mads," consoled Angela.

**The dragon caught Danny in his claw. It lifted him up. "I HAVE TO GO!"**

**Danny frowned. "You'll have to stay in line behind my dad. In the meantime—" Danny transformed into his ghostly alter-ego. He swiftly escaped the ghost's grasp.**

Jack grinned widely.

**The dragon tried to catch Danny again, but Danny dodged its attempt with ease. It roared green fire at him, but Danny dodged that as well. Then, Danny barrelled toward the ghost, and gave a hard kick. The dragon was blown away, a strange amulet fell from its neck on to the boy's forgotten bag.**

"Just how hard can Danny kick?" said an excited Maurice.

The Fentons shared a glance then shrugged.

Jazz was contemplative. "What is that amulet?"

**The half-ghost was about to follow-up his attack when the dragon gave him a sad look. He paused. It unexpectedly started to sink gradually until it changed form into a medieval princess, only with green skin.**

**Danny stared wide-eyed.**

**"All I wanted," explained the princess, "was to go to the princess costume ball. And my horrid mummy won't let meeee—" she was sucked into the swirling green of the Ghost Zone.**

"All of this...happening right under my nose," commented Jack in disbelief.

"I wonder what happened to that princess," said Angela. "It's like fairy tale gone wrong."

**"If that dragon is her idea of a costume, I'm on mummy's side," Danny said before summoning the transformation rings, changing him back to Fenton.**

"He's not sympathetic at all, isn't he?" said Maddie with a fond smile.

**The boy gave a sigh. "Man, that's a relief."**

**Jack bounced in with two cans of soda. "I'll tell you what a relief is!" But then his expression suddenly changed. "Darn, I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, giving Danny his cans and bounced away. The sound of a toilet flush was soon heard.**

"Great timing as always, Dad!" grinned Jazz.

However, he was in the middle of receiving one of Maddie's scary glares. "Jack?"

"But I...but..." stammered the big man. "I always flush the toilet, ...eventually."

"Hmmm," muttered Maddie, arms crossed.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 18.15 p.m.**

The students had cheered loudly when Danny Phantom had appeared on-screen. It was like watching a sport game in a get-together, really. There was a certain euphoria you experienced together as opposed to watching alone.

Some of them had giggled when the transformation from Danny _Fenton_ to Danny Phantom happened. It was a rather drastic change from their allegedly normal classmate's scared expression to the hero's confident banter with the dragon ghost.

Even Lancer had to smile at that.

**The screen played the "Danny Phantom theme song" as it had come to be known.**

Some of the students who had memorized the lyrics, rapped along. It was school harmony at its best. Tucker and Sam shared a snicker.

"This is awesome!" exclaimed Tucker, struggling to be heard among the mass singing. "Danny's gotta love this!" He was also recording the event with his PDA.

"—no way! We're talking about Mr. Modesty here!" said Sam, laughing. She was quite delighted that her boyfriend was getting the recognition he deserved. Speaking of said boyfriend, she was getting increasingly worried.

**After the song ended, the screen changed to display the title card, "Parental Bonding". It was a beautifully drawn picture depicting some Danny in his ghost form fighting a green-skinned, forked-tongued ghost resembling Paulina. The credits for the editing and music were also there.**

Paulina gasped loudly. "That can't be me!"

Some of the braver students laughed out loud. Sam was practically rolling on the floor. "Oh but it is!" she yelled between the laughter.

.

Suddenly, the doors banged open, catching the attention of everyone. Danny came running and promptly closed the doors. His appearance shocked everybody, and raised more than a few concerned looks. Danny's clothes appeared singed in some places, his hair was disheveled, and there were visible burn marks all over his arms — the only part showing bare skin aside from his face.

He steadied himself with his hands on his knees for a moment, panting; then he looked up, a blush appeared on his cheeks when he saw everyone looking at him.

"Uh...um...I," Danny began lamely, one free hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He tentatively raised his other hand, which was holding a thermos. "...ghost attack?"

.

.

**To be continued in "The Date with _Literal_ Dragons" a.k.a. Parental Bonding part 2.**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> I'm really sorry for those who have hoped Parental Bonding won't be a two-parter like before... I couldn't help myself tying up some ends from the previous episode. So, the "dragons" in this chapter are figurative, referring ominously of the problems that Danny will soon face due to his "date" with destiny. Make sense? Oh dear... :')  
> There are some points here (might be noticeable if you notice some subtle hints *wink wink*) which will develop into plot conflicts for future chapters. The happy news is...yes! The next four episodes (Parental Bonding, One of a Kind, Attack of the Killer Garage Sale, Splitting Images) will be watched alternately between two groups: the CH students and the trio + the parents (minus the Mansons) and Jazz. And about Valerie...we'll see. XD  
> So hopefully, they will all fit into continuous episode-heavy chapters, instead of this backstory-filled chap.  
> I'm thankful for the encouraging response I've received for this fic. As someone who's not that confident in her writing ability, I'm totally open for criticism and your ideas!
> 
> Please tell me what you think in the review section, 'coz if it's good, then I'm changing it by the time the next chapter is posted. :)


	5. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon.  
> A/N: I originally wanted to put this up with the Parental Bonding one, which is now going to be posted as the next chapter. Please don't be mad if you're expecting that instead. The episode-heavy chapter has reached its final stage of editing, and God-willing, will be posted within the next day or the day after tomorrow. :) In the meantime, this interlude is quite important to the overall plot.  
> Possible Canon Divergence: In my head, I always imagine ghost attacks as something more frequent than what is seen in the series. I hinted it previously when Tucker said "Parental Bonding" might be the next one to be shown because them meeting Dora is a stepping milestone. In canon, "The Ultimate Enemy" also leaned toward that at the ending scene where it cut off after Danny went off to fight a random ghost. I put this here if there's anyone who has interpreted differently.

Chapter 5: Interlude #1

.

**Downtown Area, Amity Park – 16.43 p.m.**

It was the time approaching the day's rush hour traffic, when the denizens of the busy urban district would crowd the streets with various vehicles. Steel and concrete jungle dominated the landscape, partially obscuring the orange hue the sun cast over the city's bustling hub. While no one would mistake Amity Park for New York, the "Most Haunted City in America" could hold its own in a contest of urban grandiose. Downtown Amity was one of the city's hectic areas, due to it being a major financial center, as well as the heartland for high-end apartments where the elites resided. As expected, skyscrapers were a common sight here in contrast to the more earthbound buildings in suburban Amity.

Currently, the presence of these tall and proud skyscrapers might pose a direct threat to the safety of the people below _and_ within them. One monster-like ghost was wreaking havoc on the streets below. It was reaching the height of at least 60 feet, and had the appearance of a ridiculously overgrown lizard: a spiked muscular tail swinging as it stalked with two clawed feet; horns protruding from its head as it roared to the sky above; and the most fearsome was the arms that were switching from clawed reptilian ones to powerful tentacles that could be extended and retracted at will. These arm-tentacles could very well wrap themselves around a concrete building and simply rip it up from its foundations in fact, this was what the monster (for _ghost_ was too simple and generic of a term to describe it) was in the process of doing.

The citizens were in the process of evacuating themselves. Living in Amity Park, you'd learn quickly the standard evacuation procedure when there was a ghost attack. Ghost attacks happened in the city even more common than earthquakes in California. There were already police officers on the streets directing people to safety, while some others were armed with various ecto-weaponry courtesy of Axion Labs and Fentonworks preparing to combat the monstrosity.

One particular officer showed an outstanding initiative and proceeded to shoot the beast, who was wrapping its tentacles around _The Hollow Point Tower Hotel_ , right at its heart/core. It recoiled in pain, retracting its tentacles into equally terrifying clawed arms. The beast-ghost suddenly became aware of the police barricading below. Everything seemed to stand still.

Holding a still-smoking ecto-gun in both hands, Officer Adam Ferguson gulped, realizing belatedly how _small_ his weapon was compared to the supernatural being in front of him.

"Where in the bleedin' hell is Phantom?" Captain Gallagher grouched in a gruff voice. She had the unfortunate honor to be the highest-ranked in the field that day.

.

The beast roared, a terrible sound filling the silence that had befallen the area. The few remaining civilians could not contain their screams. The defenders tightened their grips on their weapons. Then suddenly, the standoff ended when the beast-ghost charged at them impossibly fast for its size. Ecto-guns were being fired, but they did not seem to penetrate the reptilian-like skin.

Gallagher quickly shouted to the man handling the activator to an area-wide ecto-shield. It sprung up, encompassing the squad under its magenta glare. A clawed fist struck the shield. It wavered. The beast stomped one foot on the ground. The pavement cracked and the ground shook. An underground gas pipe was busted because of the hit.

Ferguson muttered the one thing on everybody's mind, "We're fucked." Gallagher sent him a death glare.

The shield wavered further as it stood to withstand the feral attacks while the people inside began mentally preparing for assault as soon as the shield broke down. Inevitably, the ecto-shield broke down, much sooner than they had expected it to be.

"Attack! Give your all and do NOT back down!" commanded the captain. Immediately, the barrages of ecto-weaponry projectiles started to fill the air. However, the beast deflected the big projectiles deftly with its tentacles.

"It's not working!" shouted a desperate officer under the sounds of guns firing.

"More shooting, less talking!" barked the woman. "Have all citizens been escorted inside!?"

But she didn't receive the answer as the ground suddenly shook incredibly hard. They were flung off their feet and a couple of cars flipped. In the process, something must have broken the combustion chamber in the engines, because a spontaneous fire all of a sudden erupted – aided by the lingering flammable gas in the surrounding environment.

Dazed, Captain Gallagher could only watch as fire and tentacles were coming at her squad, in her blurry vision. She inwardly muttered a prayer, reflectively closing her eyes when she felt, rather than saw, the rushing air of a tentacle delivering a fatal strike — only to open her eyes and saw… the tentacle was covered in frost, stopping right in front of her face. It was frozen solid. She looked around her surrounding to see parts of the elongated tentacles attacking their formation had also suffered similar fate. There was an ice barrier crudely erected at the front, preventing her vision to fully see the beast-ghost.

.

"Hey Godzilla! Ready to freeze to the Ice Age?!"

Danny Phantom had arrived.

.

Valerie Gray made an annoyed sound as a blip sounded from her ghost tracker for the tenth time that afternoon. She resumed her unproductive activity of staring at the ceiling of her room, earphones being put on one ear while the other end sprawled across the bed. From the unattached end, Gary Moore's sorrowful baritone could be heard singing.

_Used to be so easy….to give my heart away…but I found out the hard way…there's a price you have to pay…_

She was far from being a melancholic person. No, Valerie traded the ideas of contemplation and soul-searching for a 'kick and shoot your way out' kind of approach. It began early in her childhood, when her father was busy working and she only had her mother to play with. Caroline Gray was a perfectionist, no-nonsense woman who took her only daughter's childhood as her personal project. As a consequence, Valerie's 'play time' with her mother consisted of numerous extra lessons in reading, mathematics, swimming, and karate. Out of all the lessons, Valerie still vividly remembered her _sensei_ 's teaching and rigid discipline, as rigid as his approach in life was.

"Plant your feet firmer on the ground, _kohai,"_ the _sensei_ instructed as he used a stick to fix the girl's wobbly stance. "Earth pushes you as hard as you must push back, then your body shall become oneself as the unyielding rock, fierce and prepared for any attack. A _karateka_ cannot waver. Our form does not rely on those...energy-wasting jittery movements common folks glorify as 'dodging'. No, a _karateka_ strikes hard and defends hard. Now practice your _kata_ right!"

_I found out that love was no friend of mine...I should have known time after time..._

When her mother was suddenly gone, the lesson only solidified. Valerie Gray, the daughter of an Axion Labs senior executive, was bold and confident. Valerie Gray, the A-Lister, believed she had "peaked" in life and could do no wrong. Valerie Gray, one of the top ten students of her grade, sneered at "losers" and "slackers", people who did not take an active hold of their lives. This Valerie Gray...then fell out of her self-instated pedestal and...forced to reevaluate her ideals.

But she was first and foremost Valerie Gray the stubborn, hard and as unyielding as a rock. The Ghost Boy...presented a convenient black sheep. She was not in the wrong — _he_ was.

No, she was absolutely, horribly wrong. Just how much of a screw up could you be to _want_ your only true friend dead?

He tried to explain to her time and time again, but she was deaf to his pleas. In hindsight, evidences had been presented right before her nose from their similar appearances and personality (she dated him _dammit!)_ to Dani Phantom and Vlad Masters transforming into humans. Smart Valerie Gray failed to piece together the puzzle in time.

_So long, it was so long ago...but I've still got the blues for you..._

_._

_._

"Valerie!" Damon Gray's frantic voice woke his daughter up from half-slumber. "Axion just received an urgent message ten-minute ago, something about our ecto-shield not functioning well or so. I need to go downtown as soon as possible to check it out or the boss won't let me keep this position."

She shot her father a questioning look while she started to get up and shook the sleepiness away.

"I know darling. I don't approve of your ghost-hunting activities if it is _unsupervised"_ —he gave her a warning look—"yet you know that our economy is at stake if this job goes bust."

She understood. "Okay okay, dad...just let me..let me get my stuff," she said as she tried to look for ways so her secret cache (where she'd put her suit) would not be discovered. "Why don't you just call the taxi, dad?" She deliberated, rather annoyed.

Her father made a "tsk" sound. "Valerie honey, I know where you keep that suit from me." He pointed to her bottom drawer. Valerie gaped. "Now let's hurry up because no taxi wants to go downtown at the moment."

No longer in need of secrecy, Valerie promptly opened up her drawer and retrieved her Red Huntress suit inside. The sensor activated as soon as she ran her hand over it, and immediately her body was engulfed by the high-tech suit. She then tapped her heels to call forth the jet sled. The technology behind the suit was still unfathomable to Valerie's mind. Granted, it was ironically provided by a ghost to fulfill her single-minded pursuit of another particular ghost. She used to be practical enough to refuse thinking about it, but now...

The visor covering her face started to trickle-feed her vision with fast blinking information about the latest ghost appearance in Amity Park — a major one was occurring downtown at the moment! _So that's what the beeping is all about_ , thought Valerie, rather apathetically, before turning to face her father and offered one hand to him.

Damon cast a dubious glance at the sled, but took his daughter's hand and climbed abroad. Together, the father and daughter went over the window and glided toward downtown Amity.

.

...to find themselves spectators of an interesting battle that was taking place there. Instantly forgetting her initial indifference, Valerie tried to find a way to enter without alerting the people congregating below. Before doing so, she dropped discreetly to one empty alleyway a bit far from the scene. Mr. Gray looked more in his element once he touched the ground. Reading his daughter's anxious expression, he gave a warning look before nodding.

There were chunks of ice everywhere: on the asphalt, on the sides of buildings, on the surfaces of windows, and on parts of the beast-ghost's body itself yet, the ghost didn't seem to take heed of it. In fact, the more Phantom continued his barrage of ice, the more the beast became enraged. Phantom seemed to be trying to divert the beast's attention away from the crowds beneath.

"I have to say your plastic surgery doctor sucks, buddy!" the Ghost Boy said airily while twisting, ducking and rolling to avoid the constant tentacle attacks. "Good news is"—Phantom backpedaled a little bit before going in for an ecto-energy disk throw—"you've totally outdone Frankenstein for this Halloween's nastiest face!"

One big tentacle was sliced off. The appendage reverted back to reveal a cut-off arm. The beast-ghost roared in pain and anger. It started to attack clumsily with its remaining hand, but Phantom had readied an ectoplasmic green energy ball in his hands. He fired a streaming beam of energy just as his opponent threw a quick tentacle whip at his direction, thus negating the attack. The huge green beam seemed to light up the whole area. Valerie had to avert her eyes from her vantage point.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Phantom had landed and put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. On the other side, the huge ghost seemed frozen for a moment, before stiffly toppled and started to fall to the ground. She could hear some cheering around they seemed to emanate from _inside_ the surrounding buildings. A huge _boom_ was heard as the beast-ghost was finally down.

.

Valerie breathed a sigh. Oh how she could see everything differently now. This used to be a her cue to start chasing down the Ghost Boy under her conviction that he would eventually turn on the people watching below.

.

Captain Gallagher breathed a sigh of relief, echoed by many in her command. She nodded to some of her trusted subordinates to scout out the area, checking for collateral damages mainly and, if there was any, for wounded civilians. They began to move. Some started to put out the waning fire — there were some still raging around due to the gas increasing their persistence. She, on the other hand, stared at the remaining ghost — or was he human, she wasn't sure — who was still standing in the middle of all debris.

"Sherri! A moment of your time, please!" She turned back to see Damon Gray running up to her. "My sincerest apology"—he panted before continuing—"in the name of my company. I noticed our ecto-shield hasn't been... _adequately_ functioning?" He looked around and winced seeing some of the ice structures were perfectly _sculpted_ in reflection of the close-calls the crew had with the tentacles.

However, the sergeant smiled, albeit a bit wanly. "Ah, Damon. I was wondering if the call-emergency button worked properly. No, no." She waved his apology aside. "It worked quite wonderfully. Only, neither of us were prepared for the scale of this...this ghost attack."

"...I can see that."

She nodded curtly. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

.

Gallagher strode across the field quickly, passing the partially-broken icy barrier separating the police and the main battleground. She suddenly became hesitant and stopped a few feet away from the media-dubbed ghost boy.

"Hey," she began uncertainly. "You alright there?"

The boy jumped a little in surprise and swiftly turned around. Green eyes widened a fraction seeing the authority figure before him. "Uh...officer," he acknowledged with a nod. "Sorry for the ice cubes I caused," he smiled guiltily. "And the streets." He eyed the cracked asphalt and pavements in dismay, then he turned toward the upturned cars. "And the cars too."

She shook her head. "Nothing to apologize for, Phantom, especially for saving Amity's Finest like you've been doing...continually."

Phantom smiled awkwardly. "Oh well, it's not like it's a criminal. It's just a ghost. Who's better to take care of it than a ghost?"

"But you're not just a ghost," she replied sharply. "You're a civilian. You go to school and get back home to your parents. Mr. Fenton, my point is you should stop endangering yourself by acting as a vigilante."

"I've been doing this for _years,"_ Phantom said, affronted. "You've known me and let me handle the ghost threats in this city, _Captain Gallagher_. Why do you suddenly change attitude?"

"I didn't know I was letting an innocent kid getting into daily dangers!" Frustration started to creep into her voice. "And you used to keep telling me 'you're just a ghost', so I believed that and thought you were"—she felt an increasing sense of incredulity—"some kind of law enforcement warrior-ghost whose appearance belied your true age and experience. Apparently, I was wrong on all accounts."

"That...was what you thought?" Phantom's eyes became increasingly wider — forcefully reminding her again of a young kid — before he doubled over and _laughed_. "Seriously," he said, gasping. "You don't want to meet any ghost in our 'law enforcement', Ma'am. Their leader once tried to overshadow the mayor."

" _What?_ "

"I am also _not_ inexperienced in catching ghosts," Phantom asserted sternly. "If you could accept ghost me before, why not half-ghost me now?"

"It's not a matter of acceptance. Half-ghost you said. Half-human as well, isn't it? That means you can die," stated the captain, implicitly asking for confirmation.

"Yes...death comes for everyone." Phantom smiled warily. "I've almost had mine at fourteen, but I didn't die. Instead, I got the powers that I can use to keep everyone from dying in ghost attacks. Tell me that you wouldn't do the same given the chance."

Before she could respond, the whir of a machinery startled them both. A figure in red jumped down from her jet sled.

"Red Huntress," greeted the captain. "You professional ghost hunters are starting to become problematic if Mr. Fenton here is the one ending up taking care of your job."

Whatever the Huntress had to say did not come out due to her sudden confusion. "...Uh...," she began eloquently.

But Phantom had frozen in shock. "V-valerie?"

.

 _So, her name is Valerie? Interesting_ , the captain filed the information in her head. _They seem to know each other? Could it be...? Nah, one kid is already an impossibility in this whole debacle._

The helmeted head turned to the half-ghost so fast that Gallagher feared it got a whiplash. "I...," the Huntress began again, uncharacteristically with a soft voice. "Listen..., I want to ta—"

"WATCH OUT!" someone shouted from the back.

It happened really fast. There was a sudden, huge explosion coming from Gallagher's right side. She felt her body being pushed backward forcefully by something solid and then she fell on her back.

.

Valerie felt a cold body pushed her down on the ground, and then she felt the heat of the fire somewhere above her, but the cold body — a _black-suited_ cold body — certainly obscured most of the damaging effect. She felt Danny getting up while she herself struggled to put herself back together.

It turned out that beast-ghost, forgotten during their exchange, had managed to regain some degree of consciousness. Its damaged appendages had forced the ghost to use a latent power: the basic ghost ray that every ghost was equipped with. However, due to its massive size, the ghost ray also magnified in size. It would have burned them to crisp had Danny not quickly erected an ecto-energy shield to push the officer back, while at the same time used his body to cover Valerie's.

"Is somebody asking for round two?" said Danny menacingly, controlling his panic after that close call. "You should be careful what you ask for!"

Danny took a deep breath, and released his infamous final move: the Ghostly Wail. The awakening beast-ghost was no match. Berating himself for foolishly not doing it sooner, Danny quickly grabbed the thermos and sucked the offending ghost inside. The ghost offered no resistance as it had been thoroughly and soundly defeated.

Valerie looked at her friend worriedly. The fight obviously had its toll on Danny's body. He was covered in burns, jumpsuit torn in few places. Valerie realized guiltily that they were mostly because of protecting her.

She tried to address him. "Danny!"

Still controlling his breathing, Danny turned to her. He stared blankly for a few moment before quickly adopting a panicked look. "V-val! It was all a misunderstanding!" he exclaimed, backing away.

"W-what!?" Valerie walked quickly toward him. However, all she did was to spook the boy further.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry, okay?! I didn't mean to destroy your life. Cujo isn't my dog! He—he didn't mean to destroy your dad's office! I'm sorry! I never wanted to fight you! _Sopleasedon'tbemadatme!"_ Danny exclaimed, increasingly incoherently.

"No! That's not _—Goddammit_ will you please STOP?"

Danny inhaled a sharp breath. "That's it! I'm not ready for this! I'm SORRY!" cried Danny. Then he turned around and promptly flew away.

.

"Okay... what just happened?" Valerie said blankly to the empty air.

A hand was put on her shoulder. "Somebody needs to help him," Captain Gallagher remarked, also staring skyward worriedly.

"I'll look after him," promised the Huntress. She readied her sled and started to glide into the air. "Oh and officer, between Danny and I, he's the better ghost hunter. No competition." Then she took off.

Gallagher stared into the air for some moments then shook her head. "A booze or two would be great right now..."

**Casper High Basketball Court, 18.15 p.m.**

_(An excerpt from "A Date with Dragons")_

_Suddenly, the doors banged open, catching the attention of everyone. Danny came running and promptly closed the doors. His appearance shocked everybody, and raised more than a few concerned looks. Danny's clothes appeared singed in some places, his hair was disheveled, and there were visible burn marks all over his arms — the only part showing bare skin aside from his face._

_He steadied himself with his hands on his knees for a moment, panting; then he looked up, a blush appeared on his cheeks when he saw everyone looking at him._

_"Uh...um...I," Danny began lamely, one free hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He tentatively raised his other hand, which was holding a thermos. "...ghost attack?"_

There were some enthusiastic mutterings from the crowd. Some people had started to open their mouths to ask the ghost boy when suddenly there was a bang from outside.

Danny visibly paled. He quickly threw his body to block the doors.

"OPEN UP!" yelled a female voice.

"Mr. Fenton...?" asked Lancer who had come forward. Danny replied by shaking his head. The bangs increased in frequency and volume.

"DANNY!" screamed the voice.

"NOT UNTIL YOU PROMISE NOT TO KILL ME!" shouted Danny back. Tucker and Sam were watching wide-eyed. Some students had started to panic.

" _To Kill A Mockingjay!_ Mr. Fenton, please explain this instant who's trying to kill you!" ordered Lancer, alarmed.

"I NEVER WANTED TO KI-KILL YOU! I PROMISE! SO THERE! PLEASE DANNY..."

Tucker and Sam now recognized the owner of the voice. "I'm coming over to stop Danny from overreacting," muttered Sam.

Sam quickly went over. As soon as Danny saw her, he miraculously seemed to calm down. The doors opened without Danny blocking it. The students and teachers gasped.

The Red Huntress stalked forward, the visor obscuring her identity. She opened up her mouth to say something, but was quickly beaten by none other than Sam.

"Look!" she said lowly to both newcomers. "Both Danny and you are obviously in no mood for talking your oh-so-complicated issues together. And _we"_ —waving her hand toward the spectators in general—"are not in the mood for listening because we're watching something else here. So everyone let's sit down, calm down for a moment, then talk when the time is right. Got it?"

The Huntress reluctantly nodded. She showed her both hands in a non-threatening gesture to Danny, before choosing a seat. Sam grabbed Danny's hand and brought him over to hers and Tucker's place.

"What's that all about?" asked Tucker, confused and worried.

Danny sat and groaned to himself. "I totally lost control. Could've handled it better," he mumbled.

"Yeah, you definitely could," replied Sam dryly, but her expression then softened. "But nobody's gonna blame you for freaking out. It's okay to take your time, Danny."

"Yeah," muttered Danny, still a bit regretful.

"Let's just continue to watch, guys," encouraged Tucker. "You'll feel better watching yourself beating up some ghosts, dude."

Sam snickered. "...and Bad Luck Tuck has just jinxed it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits to Gary Moore for his "Still Got the Blues" song.  
> Thank you for all the reviews, support and encouragement. You are my teacher, my motivation, my idea-generator, and my reference in writing this fic. As always, more is welcome! :) Please give me time to finish editing the next chapter..


	6. The Date with Actual Dragons

Chapter 6: The Date with _Literal_ Dragons

...

**Casper High Basketball Court, 18.17 p.m.**

**The school bell rang indicating that it was break time in Casper High School. There was a big poster decorating the exterior of the school with the words "THE BIG DANCE" written on it.**

"Ah, I remember what a fabulous success it had been," commented Lancer, smiling.

Ishiyama looked at him dryly. "If by success you meant a chunk of the school stadium seating ended up missing under a mysterious circumstance..."

Dash, Danny, and a girl jerked on their respective seats.

"What?" asked Kwan looking at the three students, confused. "Why do I get the feeling we might know this "mysterious circumstance" soon?

The Principal's eyes narrowed.

Tucker grinned. "Well, duh!"

**Tucker was standing by the front entrance of the school, posing casually to greet _every_ girl who came out. **

**"Hey there! I–"**

**"No..." A red head passed by dismissively.**

**"Hi, would you–"**

**"Forget it," said a blonde.**

**Tucker's confidence faltered.**

**"No," another girl said without looking.**

**"I didn't ask you yet!" Tucker exclaimed.**

The three girls watching, seeing themselves on screen, giggled. "I can give you another chance, Tucky-poo," cooed the last girl, eyeing the boy up.

Unnoticed, the Red Huntress coughed derisively.

The techno-geek blanched, while Danny burst out laughing. "Tucky-poo? TUCKY-POO? Oh my God this is awesome!"

"Awe, you also want to be called Danny-poo—AAAH!" Paulina had joined in enthusiastically before she was forced to dodge a boot missile from Sam. From her seat, Sam smirked.

"Sam," Danny breathed. "You're definitely my life-safer!"

"Miss Manson!" shouted Lancer.

Sam smiled innocently. "I'm in a mission from Danny's sister to protect her brother from damaging psychological problems, sir! You know...Jazz Fenton, A-student, highest CAT score, and many other ... stuff."

Lancer raised an eyebrow but accepted the explanation.

Danny and Tucker looked at Sam in awe.

**Tucker moved to seat beside Sam and Danny who were eating in one of the Lunch benches outside. He had a crestfallen expression on his face.**

**"Strike three, Tuck?" teased Danny.**

**"Try strike three _thousands_."**

**"I don't know what the big deal is about going to some stupid dance," joined in Sam. "I don't need to be asked to some dance to know I'm special. Like–" She suddenly realized her audience was distracted.**

Star threw the Goth a sympathetic glance.

**"What?" grumbled Sam.**

**" _Paulina_ ," chanted Danny and Tucker together.**

"Yes, Danny?" The girl asked delighted, batting her eyelashes at him.

Danny frowned. "Um...whatever you watch, it's in the past, okay?"

"We can make the past _our_ present if you want, ghost boy," said Paulina sweetly.

Sam glared at Danny. "Is this shallow floozie blatantly flirting with you in front of me?"

Danny was at loss. "Uh...oh..." he stammered, looking between two girls. However, Sam took his hesitancy badly. She huffed angrily and stared fixedly at the screen, refusing to acknowledge him.

"...Sam, I'm not–"

"Save it, Danny."

Tucker coughed. "Um...let's just watch _peacefully_ alright?"

**Paulina walked down the street as if she was a supermodel. Yet, all eyes were on her. A guy passing by on his bicycle was too absorbed staring at her that he managed to crash his bike into a tree. Another guy accidentally pushed his friend into a fountain pool, too busy staring at the beauty queen.**

"Hey thanks man," James grinned sarcastically to Dean. Dean just shrugged, remembering the moment.

**Tucker and Danny were also mesmerized, much to Sam's consternation. "Oh please! Paulina? Girls like her are a dime a dozen."**

**Danny stuck a hand to his pocket. "How much change you got?"**

**Sam laughed sardonically. "Very funny. Just remember, you can't judge a book by its cover."**

Danny was still staring sadly at Sam at this point, with Sam studiously ignoring him.

"Sam...I'm sorry. I'm an idiot, okay? I...I'm in love with you, you know that?"

The Goth was stubborn, but one of her main weaknesses was Danny's puppy-dog eyes – which was currently aimed full-force at her. She sighed.

"...even Danny didn't listen to that Goth freak's stupid opinion." Paulina's voice was heard as she was talking with her group of girls.

A bit hurt, Sam opened up her mouth to retort, but she was not fast enough.

"Watch it, Paulina," Danny said in a quiet voice, but his voice carried clearly across the room. "I don't tolerate anyone calling somebody else a _freak_ here. If you don't know what it's like to be a real freak, just shut your mouth."

The room became silent. Paulina had to gulp when she saw fierce glowing green eyes staring at her.

**"Well," Tucker said optimistically. "There's only one way to find out. Go on to that library and check out that book."**

The Huntress snorted. "Seriously, Tucker?"

Tucker grinned at her. Lancer started to eye the ghost hunter suspiciously.

**"I can't. I get weak-kneed when I try to talk to cute girls," moaned Danny.**

**Sam became annoyed. "Oh? And you absolutely have no problem talking to me."**

"That's 'cause I've known you since forever! Even when I thought girls were gross. You're definitely more than just cute, Sam."

Sam smiled.

**"Skip it." Sam moved over and dragged her friend up. "Go get your 'weak knees' some exercise." And with that, she pushed him over to Paulina's direction.**

**Danny took a look at the school beauty queen sitting under a tree, eating her lunch. He inhaled and exhaled. "Hi," he began, leaning one hand on the tree. "I..." The hand suddenly turned intangible, and Danny slammed into the tree, falling down.**

There were many laughs sounded around the room.

"You were such a dweeb, Fenton," guffawed Dash, before he stopped in realization.

Danny, however, took it good-naturedly. "Why I still am!" he said proudly. "Still going strong for that dweeb-of-the-year award this year."

Everyone laughed. Dash, in particular, grinned widely.

**Paulina noticed the boy as he fell down face-first. "Please," she said, rolling her eyes. "Don't say you've suddenly fallen for me because that line is so last semester."**

**"Yeah," replied Danny, dazed. "I mean, no...T–that's not it. I'm...Danny." He finished, trying to smile charmingly. However, it didn't succeed since his pants suddenly went intangible _,_ going down to his ankles.**

**People in the vicinity burst into laughter.**

Everyone in the room was tempted to do the same. Some did, including Danny and his friends who remembered the good ol' times.

"Danny, you are way too cute!" exclaimed Paulina suddenly, making Danny stop his laughter and choke in mortification.

"Oh Paulina, you definitely didn't say that before." Sam smirked haughtily at the girl.

**"A gentleman usually tipped his hat," said on-screen Paulina, laughing. "But I'll give you points for originality." With that, she dismissed the embarrassed boy.**

"See!?" exclaimed Sam. "Can you believe this girl's hypocrisy!?"

"Shut the hell up, Manson!"

"Ms. Manson! Ms. Sanchez!" exclaimed Lancer sternly. "Both of you, this is not the time for"—Lancer pulled out a book titled " _How to Sound Hip for the Unhip: The Sequel"_ —"being such a drama queen."

Danny looked on awkwardly.

**Sam approached Danny and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Kudos, Danny. You just set up an all-time speed record for drowning in the shallow end of the gene pool."**

Many girls in school cheered for Sam, except Paulina and her friends, who were frowning.

**"Oh no!" Paulina said crossly. "You did _not_ just call me shallow, did you?"**

**"If you mean, do I think I could stand in a puddle full of you and not get my feet wet, then yeah."**

"Goth bitch," Paulina muttered to herself.

**"Shallow? I'm not shallow...!" But Sam had dragged Danny – whose pants were still down – out of the way leaving the fuming girl behind. "On the other hand, I'm not so deep that I couldn't lure a boy away from a goth geek, and I will..."**

"Wait-a-minute here..." Danny said slowly, turning to look at Paulina. Comprehension started to dawn on his face, then followed by disappointment.

If it was an anime, Paulina would have sweat dropped by now. "D-danny, it's not what you think it is...!"

Danny said nothing, only shaking his head a bit and fixing his eyes resolutely at the screen. Sam put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

.

**The scene cut to show the interior of the school. Danny was taking some books out of his locker, accompanied by Tucker. Tucker stared wistfully when he saw two girls walking down the hall.**

Star let out a small squeal seeing the on-screen version of herself.

**"Thanks to you, I now know the quickest way to a woman's heart: clean boxers!" Tucker blurted out.**

**"Man, I blew it yesterday. Paulina probably won't even look at me now," sighed Danny, rubbing the back of his neck in a dejected fashion.**

**However, he was proven wrong, as Paulina suddenly appeared down the hall and waved at them.**

**"Yuhuu, Danny!" she winked.**

**Many boys in the hall sighed.**

**"—or not," added Danny, not believing his eyes. "Hey Tuck—"**

**"I get it. I'm out," The techno-geek quickly left with one last, "good luck".**

"And that's the best technique on becoming a wing man and all-around awesome sidekick," Tucker winked to everybody. "Wait for Tucker Foley's new publication for extensive details."

Everyone laughed, including Danny who was grinning gratefully at his long-time best friend.

"I will definitely wait for that 'publication', Mr. Foley. It might earn you the benefit of a doubt given your current marks in English writing," announced Lancer dryly, but the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile.

**"Hi you," flirted Paulina, giggling. "I just wanted to—" Dash arrived to slam Danny into a locker.**

**"—meet me? Who doesn't?" finished Dash, slamming the locker door shut.**

"Mr. Baxter!" shouted Principal Ishiyama.

"Uh..." Dash Baxter seemed to curl up on himself after being the target of many glares from the students.

**Danny's invisible form peeked out from inside the lockers. His eyes had turned green. Danny put invisible arms on Dash's backside, but he was suddenly and unexpectedly pulled into the body.**

"Mr. Fenton!" shouted Mr. Lancer, but it lacked ire.

Danny threw an apologetic look to Dash at the same time the vice versa happened. Both boys ended up averting their eyes.

**"I'm also—" Dash cut himself off. His eyes turned ghostly green. He dropped the football in his hand. "—in Dash's body?"**

**"Excuse me?" asked Paulina, confused.**

"So that's what happened," nodded the girl.

**"Right!" said Dash/Danny hurriedly. "O-of course! I'm also president of the Casper High Geek Club and I have every toenail I've ever clipped. Wanna see 'em?"**

"Fenturd! What the freakin' _fuck_?" yelled Dash in a sudden outburst of anger, but then he blinked. "I-I mean...Fenton, seriously?" he finished with a lame smile.

Danny stared at him. "No, what the freakin' _fuck_ is going on with you, Dash?"

Dash hmm-ed in embarrassment, muttering something incomprehensible.

**Paulina became disgusted. "No."**

**"I think you should get to know Danny Fenton. He doesn't scrub his mom's feet every night like I do," Dash said grabbing one of her feet.**

**Paulina backed away. "Ewww! Get lost, loser!"**

"Danny Fenton!" barked Mr. Lancer. "We're going to have a talk after this."

"Yes, Mr. Lancer," said Danny meekly, chastened.

Meanwhile, Paulina was repeating what her on-screen self had just said. "Yeah, get lost, loser," she said to Dash, thinking that she could win Danny's favor.

Dash looked crestfallen.

"Um...excuse me?" interjected Danny gently. "In case you need any _more_ clarification, that was me saying it to you, not Dash." Danny then beamed. "I'm glad you're back to normal calling me 'loser'. Keep it up, Paulina."

She stammered in response. "B-but, that's not —"

Everyone shushed her.

**Danny exited Dash's body invisibly. Dash grabbed his head in bemusement. "Why do I suddenly feel like scrubbing my mom's feet!"**

"Did you?" asked a curious Kwan.

Dash harrumphed before reluctantly nodding. Kwan gave his fellow footballer a wary glance and scooted away carefully.

**Paulina opened the locker door after Dash went away. Out of it came Danny, but he promptly fell down clumsily. The strange amulet previously seen during the fight with the dragon-ghost fell out of his bag.**

**The girl bent down. "We have to stop meeting like this." She suddenly noticed the amulet. "Oh my gosh! What's that?" She picked it up.**

" **That?" Danny replied, looking left and right for explanation. "Oh, it's a…uh…you like it?"**

Sam rolled her eyes. Danny grinned sheepishly.

" **It's beautiful!"**

" **Hey that's great! Because I…uh…got it for you!"**

" **Really?" squealed Paulina.**

"Really," Sam deadpanned.

" **Y-yeah! I…uh…In case I got the nerve to ask you to the dance and you said yes. I…I thought I wanna give you something and that's what it would–would've been! It's–it's for you!" Danny explained nervously. His powers started to act up again due to nerves, but he quickly grabbed his pants. "Whether you go with me or not."**

" **Well you are kinda cute," said Paulina, weighing her decision. "And you have great taste in underwear; I'd love to go with you."**

**Danny blinked in delighted surprise.**

"Am I the only one grossed out with Paulina's reasoning?" Tucker said, sniggering. "I mean, great taste in underwear? How does it even matter?"

Paulina blushed. "It means a lot more than your geek mind can understand." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Tucker stared at her confused, and then his eyes became wide – _very_ wide.

"Miss Sanchez!" Principal Ishiyama reprimanded, aghast. "I can't believe the things you teenagers do on my school ground…."

Dash whispered to Kwan. "She obviously needs to stop burying her head in the sand."

Sam had taken to growl dangerously at Paulina and the-inadvertently-involved Tucker.

Danny, however, was looking at everyone with a confused expression. "What are you guys on about?" he said obliviously.

Some people in the room who wanted to enlighten the half-ghost stopped seeing Sam's hostile expression.

**Paulina sauntered away. Out of Danny's sight, her eyes suddenly glowed green.**

" **What am I doing?" muttered Danny to himself. "That thing doesn't belong to me. It could be my mom's…or my sister's."**

**Nevertheless, he threw all doubts out of the door when he saw Paulina's waving at him in the distance.**

" **Or I could worry about that later, because she said YES!" Danny did a mini-celebration. His pants promptly went down _again_.**

Everyone in the room snickered.

"Ghost powers how I love you," Sam smirked at Danny's expense. Danny smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

**A shadow behind him made Danny turned around. It was Lancer. "Pants- less again, Mr. Fenton. Third time this week I've caught you–how do you kids say it?" he pulled out a " _How to Sound Hip for the Unhip_ " book. "…dropping trou. I think it's time I saw your father for a parent-teacher conference." He pulled out a slip and gave it to the boy.**

" **Oh man," said Danny, reading the paper. "My dad…"**

" **Until then, _here_ ," Lancer said as he pulled out a leather belt. "It'll help you keep your pants up and"— he glanced surreptitiously at the book —"out of trouble with the man."**

Lancer earned himself many laughs from the people in the room. His face reddened.

"Oh cheer up, William," Ishiyama slapped the English teacher's back good-naturedly. "Everyone's getting laughs at some points or another here."

"Say, do you still have that book, William?" Tetslaff asked loudly from her position in the corner.

Lancer hesitantly pulled out two books – the first was seen in the show, and the second was the sequel of the first.

That put everybody into laughing fits again.

"Take my advice," thundered the PE teacher. "Burn 'em!"

Lancer gritted his teeth and clutched the books protectively to his chest.

.

**Foley's House, 18.28 p.m.**

"A parent-teacher conference?" said Jack confused. "Mads, am I getting old or did something else happen? Because I certainly don't remember that ever happening."

Maddie shrugged helplessly.

"I bet something else happened," reassured Maurice to the Fenton patriarch. "With your son you never know."

"I see," remarked Maddie. "I'm going to have a talk with my baby about using his powers next."

"Remember that this was his early days, Mads," reminded Angela kindly.

**At Fentonworks, Danny was once again accompanying his father "fishing" in front of the Ghost Portal. "Catch anything, Dad?"**

" **Son, I couldn't catch a cold. I've been sitting here all day without a single bite."**

**Danny pulled out the slip and stared at it with dread. "Uh…."**

" **I'm so frustrated I wanna take out my rage on the first person to give me bad news." Jack tried throwing the line again. "Anyway, you wanna tell me something?"**

**That did it for Danny. "Well…sort of. Mr. Lancer—"**

"— **Mr. Lancer _what_? _Is this bad news_?" The father narrowed his eyes.**

"Greeaaat going, Dad. Of course he'd lose his nerves and not tell you anything," Jazz said rolling her eyes.

**Danny quickly hid the paper behind his back. "Mr. Lancer…" he suddenly smiled, and overshadowed the man. Jack's eyes turned green. "…wants to have a word with us."**

Everyone in the house was stunned.

"I can't believe Dann-o would do that," murmured Jack, sadly.

Jazz bit her bottom lip. "Well, he's just a kid. You can't blame him for that."

**The scene skipped time to the next day, when Jack was facing the Vice Principal in his office.**

" **Thank you for coming to discuss your son's schooling, Mr. Fenton," began the teacher.**

" **Well sure!" chirped in Jack. "I'm a parent! And…that's what parents do! Uh…right?"**

Maddie had to giggle seeing her husband's antics when he was controlled by her son.

Jazz gave herself a face palm.

" **Well, there were couple of incidents," Lancer explained, unperturbed. "With his pants."**

" **Did his pants fall down again? Poor Danny, he studied so hard he forgets to eat. I know these things because I'm his dad and not him." Jack/Danny finished with a grin.**

Maurice snickered. "Nope, not suspicious at all."

**Lancer looked to be deep in thought. "That would explain things."**

"Okay, he's rather gullible, isn't he?" said Angela grinning.

" **It worked?" Surprised, Jack/Danny slipped up before backtracking. "I–I–I mean, of course you understand! No wonder you're Danny's favorite teacher."**

**Lancer was startled. "I am?"**

"Little suck-up," commented Jazz, giggling.

Maddie shot her a fond smile.

**Jack/Danny launched into a tirade. "We Fentons consider teachers to be underpaid and underappreciated."**

"You have to admit Danny is particularly talented at making speeches," commented Maurice. He remembered the time he watched Phantom speaking in the UN Chamber on TV.

"My boy's just like myself!" smiled Jack, wiping off stray tears.

" **I like your style, Mr. Fenton," said the teacher, flattered. "In fact, I'd like you to chaperone the upcoming school dance."**

" **Chaperone?" repeated Jack. "Well…I'm not…sure."**

" **I am. See you Friday, or"—Lancer pulled out his book again—"as the kids say, catch you later, gee."**

**The camera zoomed in to show Jack's panicked face.**

"Well, he went and dug himself a deeper hole. I'm sure Danny had learned his lesson by now," said Maddie satisfied.

"Ah," breathed Jack. "I seem to remember some kind of school dance. It was blurry though. Did we have a great time, Mads?"

"The absolute best," replied Maddie, grinning. "You danced so wonderfully I could have sworn that… wasn't… you…," Maddie trailed off in a sudden understanding. "Oh dear…"

"What?" demanded Jack.

"We'll probably see it tonight anyway."

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 18.35 p.m.**

Meanwhile, Mr. Lancer was glaring at the guilty boy during the whole scene. Danny, for his part, kept shooting the teacher apologetic looks.

"Is it possible to get detention for something you did years ago?" he whispered to Tucker.

Tucker shrugged. "As long as it's still possible for my parents to ground me for that 'loitering by the girl's locker room' incident…" He himself wondered what his mother would have to say since they hadn't had the time to talk alone together.

Danny winced.

**The Amity Park Mall was a hub for the teenagers of Casper High School to hang out afterschool. That was exactly what Danny, Sam and Tucker ended up doing. The three were eating at a table in the crowded "Time2Grub" Food Court.**

" **Hmmm," said Tucker smiling at a passing girl while taking a bite of his burger.**

" **No," said the girl flatly.**

" **So you're dad is going to chaperone the dance?" asked Sam demanding clarification.**

" **Yes," Danny said. "But he doesn't know he's going to chaperone 'cause he doesn't remember that I made him say yes!"**

Some girls were shooting Danny's indiscernible looks despite Sam's displeasure on the matter, and they were whispering and giggling among each other.

"What's the matter with them _now_?" mumbled Danny, annoyed.

Tucker decided to take pity on his friend. "Chicks dig bad boys, dude. They must've thought there's some hope with you yet."

The prospective "bad boy" only stared blankly in response.

" **Lemme get this straight," said Tucker incredulously. "You can just walk into people and take over their bodies from the inside?"**

" **Yeah, pretty much."**

**Tucker grinned. "Hey, Danny. If you could control a girl for just about two minutes…"**

" **Forget it. You can get your own date for the dance, like I did."**

"See?" Tucker exclaimed. "He's pretty much hopeless, girls. If you wanna dig somebody, how about this _Tuckerino_?" he said to the girls.

The Red Huntress snorted, and said as snidely as possible, "Girls! If you want to score an A in Mr. Lancer's class, rhyme the answer with a 'no'."

"Oh Huntress, you wound my heart," Tucker said with a dramatic gasp.

In the meantime, the aforementioned teacher had started to make a mental list about his observations. _Mr. Foley and the Huntress seem to know each other. That is weird considering the former adversarial relationship Phantom had with her. Second, the Huntress seems to be really familiar with my class and way of teaching. The Mysterious Affair at Styles! What's going on?_

" **Does he have to take out his pants _and_ act like a dweeb, or either one will do?" asked Sam with a sardonic look.**

"Ouch," said Mickey out loud.

**Located in the same venue, there was a store called the "Abyss", a female clothing outlet. It was hosting a tees sale. Their main display was the corduroy button-down fleecy tees, which were only on sale for that day. Paulina was one of the customers of the shop. She gasped seeing the fleecy tees.**

" **I've just got to have one of these!" She enthusiastically rummaged through the collection. "They're so unique!" Paulina's definition of unique was definitely convoluted because every customer in the shop had worn the tees.**

Sam snorted in the background. "She doesn't even know the true meaning of unique."

That earned her a glare from Paulina.

" **Miss!" she addressed an attendant. "Do you have this in a size…small?"**

" **Oooo, sorry!" answered the chirpy attendant. "We just sold our last small Abyss corduroy button-down fleecy tee to someone else."**

" **Will you be getting anymore soon?"**

" **The Abyss corduroy button-down fleecy tees' been discontinued, and if you haven't already got one, you are doomed to languish as a toxic social outcast for a period of no less than five and no more than sixteen weeks!" she giggled. "Sorry!"**

"Wow," Danny commented. "Just wow."

Every guy in the room agreed.

**Paulina's face turned incredibly red. "SIXTEEN WEEK!?" She ripped off the tee in her hand. The amulet responded to her anger, changing her eyes to red orbs and her body to a dragon!**

" **WANT FLEECY TEE!" the dragon roared, and then she breathed green fire that burned the collection of Abyss corduroy button-down fleecy tees.**

**All customers screamed and ran away from the shop. The dragon proceeded to wreck the shop.**

Dash paled. "This is the worst case of PMS I've ever seen."

His words were unfortunately (for him) heard by everybody, who promptly laughed. However, Paulina fixed him a glare.

"Uh…sorry Paulina," he said apologetically to her.

He was ignored.

**Back at the food court, Sam was in the middle of criticizing the school dance. "Honestly guys, I'm glad I'm not going to that stupid dance. Saves me the embarrassment of wearing the lame dress my parents have brought me." She finished with an awkward chuckle.**

" **So no one's asked you, huh?" teased Tucker.**

" **Maybe if I was as pretty as Paulina..."**

Star gasped. "Sam Manson actually gave direct hints?" she said out loud.

" **Why are you so down on her?" Danny questioned. "So she's pretty, it's not a crime."**

Star sighed. "…which went right over the boy."

Sam gave a rare smile at her. "What they said. Boys will always be boys."

"Are you guys talking about me?" asked Danny warily. "Because I got the vibes you guys are talking about me."

"Don't ya worry yourself, Danny," Sam patted her boyfriend's head playfully.

"Hey!"

" **Looks are deceiving Danny," Sam told him. However, everyone in the room suddenly screamed and ran away in fear. A blue wisp came out of Danny's mouth.**

"What is that?" asked Lancer in wonder.

The Red Huntress was the one to answer. "His built-in ghost-tracker. I'm quite jealous."

Danny stared at her, giving a cautious smile.

" **Ghost time," muttered Tucker. "Can I finish your fries?"**

"This also a good sidekick behavior, Tucker?" Mickey said, laughing.

"Why yes!"

**Danny immediately ran to an empty area and transformed into Danny Phantom. There was a cool transformation sequence done in slow-mo by the show.**

Danny groaned seeing everyone's excited expressions.

"Well, it's show time!" Lancer unexpectedly exclaimed. "Or as Mr. Foley's phrased in today's fashion, ghost time!"

Tucker immediately joined Danny in groaning.

**Phantom flew up to meet the dragon-ghost slash Paulina. "Say, haven't we met somewhere?"**

**The dragon responded by roaring, and discharging green fires all around. The screen went black for a moment.**

"Huh?" some people in the room said aloud.

"It's called dramatization, students," Lancer said in a lecture-mode. "It's good for telling stories."

"And the last thing my life needs," muttered Danny quietly. Sam moved to hold his hand. Danny looked surprised for a moment, before he softly smiled, casting a glance on her to see her encouraging expression.

**The camera turned on back again to pan out the sheer size of the dragon Phantom was currently facing. It shot a torrent of fire to the ghost boy, which was swiftly dodged.**

" **Let's try this again! Hi, I'm Danny Phantom, and you are…?" The answer he got was a quick smack from the dragon's tail, which sent him off flying through the glass in the "Weenie On-A-Skewer" stall.**

With the exception of four particularly experienced students, the students and faculty collectively gasped.

" **Testy, got it." Phantom muttered, holding his head. He had to quickly dodge another torrent of fire.**

" **Sorry dude, I think you got the wrong weenie!"**

"Dude, seriously?" Tucker said in disbelief, amid the guffaws of the thoroughly entertained people.

**Phantom had used gravity to aid his thrust at the dragon's side. He managed to push the big beast backward before he was grabbed and slammed against the floor.**

" **MUST HAVE TEE" the dragon roared again.**

" **Tea?" Danny bantered, on his own whim. "Good idea. A coffee might make your mind jittery. Better yet"—he phased through the floor—"have some PUNCH!" Danny said, simultaneously resurfaced and punched the dragon.**

Everyone cheered.

"Lame pun, good action," the voice of the Red Huntress could be heard.

"Hey!" Danny exclaimed in mock affront.

"I second that!" said Sam, grinning.

"Third that," joined in Tucker, followed by many exclamations of "fourth that", "fifth that", and so on.

**The force of the punch made the dragon fall back a considerable distance. A shopper was walking unaware before the shadow of the falling dragon loomed over her. She promptly dropped her "Abyss" bag and ran away. When the dragon slammed into the ground, the amulet got thrown away in the process, landing inside the abandoned bag. The dragon subsequently reverted back to Paulina.**

" **Whoa, what hit me?" mumbled the dazed girl.**

"That hurt, you know," Paulina commented. "Actually I can still feel the dizziness in my head," she said, raising a hand to hold her head.

She received no sympathy much to her dismay.

**Paulina noticed the bag and rummaged through the content. "Hey, my amulet!" She fastened it to her neck once again, and then she gave an excited squeal when she saw the next item. "My fleecy tee! They must have had it in my size! I guess good thing happens when you maintain a positive attitude."**

"Are you so low that you had to resort to stealing?" asked Sam snidely.

Paulina gaped. "Did she just—oh no you didn't. You did not just accuse me of stealing!"

Sam waved airily at the screen. "I didn't. We know you did."

Paulina stared at Sam haughtily. "I'm perfectly well-endowed thank you very much. At least I don't have to wear the garbage this _pauper_ calls clothes."

Danny narrowed his eyes, but he was stopped by a dainty hand on his shoulder.

"She didn't just call Sam a pauper," Tucker smirked evilly.

"Ignore her, boys. I believe 'good thing happens when you maintain a positive attitude'," said Sam, giving her impersonation of the other girl's voice to everyone's amusement.

**Danny phased in front of his waiting friends. "Danny!" exclaimed Sam worriedly. "Are you okay?"**

" **Fine, but that's the second time I fought that dragon. We need to investigate," said Danny decisively. "How are you guys?"**

" **Great, if you don't count me still being dateless for the dance," answered Tucker, reluctant. He pulled out his PDA. "Sasha, no. Denise, no. I've hit every girl in school except…" he smiled optimistically when Valerie Gray came into view.**

"It's a pity she isn't here to watch this with us," said Star to Denise.

"… **Valerie."**

" **Yeah hi," responded the girl. "Sucker, is it?"**

" **Tucker," corrected the boy, undeterred. "Or Tuck. Or Tuckerino."**

"… **which ends with 'no', which by the way is my answer, unless somethin' happens in the next five minutes that makes me dateless."**

Lancer got a strange feeling of déjà vu. He frowned, confused.

**Kwan suddenly appeared. "You never guess what happened. Donna said she'd go to the dance with me, so you're dateless."**

" **You're on."**

" **I'll take it," replied Tucker excited.**

"Words of advice," growled the Red Huntress suddenly. "You'd wish you had a gun in your hand when guys treat you like trash."

"V-va—uh…Huntress…" Danny quickly amended, considerate of others listening. "You can't say things like that around here."

"Yeah," Tucker quipped nervously. "Sometimes unfortunate accidents may happen." To Danny he whispered, "If she kills me by the end of this, I'm blaming you."

" **Some may call it a rebound," said Tucker to his friends. "But I call it a yes! I got a date! WOO!" Tucker threw both hands up in the air. "And the pants are still on."**

**.**

**Foley's House, 18.41 p.m.**

"My sweet boy was so excited," cooed Angela fondly. Maurice looped an arm to hug her sideways.

Maddie smiled. "Ah, to be young and be hopelessly searching for love…Now, Jazz, when's your turn? Any special someone yet?" she winked at her suggestively.

Jazz looked horrified. "No one! There's no one!" she said quickly.

Jack and Maddie pouted.

**At Fentonworks, the parents were preparing themselves for chaperoning the dance. "I don't understand why I have to wear this stupid thing." Jack stared at the tie…fastened over his orange jumpsuit dubiously.**

**His wife answered, "Because it's Danny's first dance, Jack. If we're gonna chaperone this thing we have to make sure we don't embarrass him."**

" **How would we embarrass him?"**

**Jazz spoke up. "I think it's great that you guys do anything that doesn't have something to do with your sick obsession with ghosts."**

" **Funny," replied Jack. "I don't even remember volunteering to chaperone the dance. It's all a vague blur."**

"And it's because of a ghost! I was right!" Jack boomed triumphantly.

Maddie winced. "That ghost is our son, Jack. Remember?"

"Uh…yeah, right. Maddie, I can't forget something like that," replied Jack more gently. "But it was still a ghost! And he's my son so I'm allowed to obsess over him," grinned the man to his daughter.

Jazz groaned and put her head in her hands.

" **By the way, Danny," said Jazz casually. "Just so you know, I'm onto your little secret." Danny, who was drinking a glass of water, promptly spat it out.**

The two families laughed. "Oh gosh, I didn't realize at the time that I was so right, yet so wrong," chuckled Jazz.

" **What!? Wha–what secret?" stammered the boy.**

" **The clumsiness, the nervousness–I can't believe I didn't figure it out before. You have a girlfriend!"**

" **It's a lie! I'm not a ghost!" countered Danny fast, before registering what she said. "I…I mean, she's not my girlfriend. She's just going to the dance with me."**

"I'm glad Danny is with Sam. I don't like that Paulina girl," commented Maddie, crossing her arms.

" **That's great!" exclaimed Jack. "I can meet her and talk to her about ghosts!"**

" **You'd better let her know your family's insane now, Danny. If you marry her and she finds out later, that's entrapment," said Jazz.**

"I…I mean, the good kind of insanity, Dad," Jazz amended. "And Mom."

"It's okay, sweetie," said Maddie gently. "We understand. You had never made your displeasure of our profession a secret before."

"Well, let me tell you that ghost hunting is more exciting than my current job as an accountant," said Maurice.

"We're more in the line of inventing than hunting, but thank you Maurice. You're such a dear," replied Maddie, smiling.

**Danny sighed. "I'd better go get ready." He walked away downstairs. "Okay, so I'm gonna have to dance with Paulina and keep my dad from embarrassing me. I can handle that." His expression reflected his doubt, however.**

"Oh, poor sweetie. He keeps saying that all the time," commented Maddie.

"Danny's optimistic, I'll give him that, Mads," Angela assured.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 18.45 p.m.**

**The scene changed to Sam Manson's bedroom, where she was laying on her bed using her laptop in a video call. In the laptop's screen, Danny and Tucker had already dressed up for the dance.**

Paulina sneered at Sam's taste in decorating her abode.

" **Tie straight, shirt tucked in, unbreakable ghost fishing line tucked neatly away just in case…" Danny listed off. "What's taking so long with that dragon research, Sam?"**

" **Alright, geez," scowled the girl. "Here, I'm sending you the link." A pop-up window appeared showing them the sketch-up version of the dragon-ghost.**

" **That's it," muttered Danny, clicking for more information. "Medieval ghostly legend held that the cursed amulet of Aragon could transform any wearer into a dragon form under the state of extreme emotional duress or anger. It's the amulet I gave to Paulina! It must've accidentally fallen into my backpack. Wait," he paused in realization. "You mean, I'm going on a date with a dragon!?"**

"Tough luck, boy," said Tetslaff shaking her head.

" **Like I said, looks are deceiving. I'm sure you boys will have a wonderful evening," Sam said with a sarcastic smile before turning her laptop off.**

Many people in the room gave Sam sympathetic looks. "It's not that nobody wants to ask you, Sam," Mickey spoke out suddenly. "But we're kinda afraid of…well, you, and Danny, too. There's even a betting pool circulating around about you and Danny."

Mickey earned himself a few glares by that, but most let it pass seeing that the pool had been closed.

Danny coughed meaningfully to Tucker. Tucker replied with a sheepish look.

" **She really wants to go to the dance," Danny said, oddly insightful.**

" **But she said she didn't want to."**

" **We're her best friends. We should've known."**

Sam suddenly felt touched. "You noticed?" She squeezed Danny's hand. Danny threw a hesitant smile at her.

" **Well there's nothing we can do about it now, right?"**

**Danny suddenly smiled and turned his eyes green. "No way," muttered Tucker sternly. "Forget it. Absolutely not! No!"**

Sam withdrew her hand from Danny's grasp. "Oh no, don't tell me you did what I think you were gonna do."

Danny's silence spoke his answer. Sam narrowed her eyes. Danny had officially landed in hot waters with her.

**The next scene was Tucker knocking on Sam's door. "Tucker?" Sam inquired, opening the door. "What are you doing here? Where's Valerie?"**

**The glowing green-eyed Tucker answered, "She kinda cancelled on me. D'you think we could go together? You know, as friends?"**

The Red Huntress suddenly exclaimed a loud "oooh". Tucker smiled at her. She nodded.

Danny had officially landed in hot waters with two girls now.

**Sam was surprised. "Oh I don't know. This is so last minute, and I do have plans, and I—"**

"— **well, I–I understand if you don't wanna go." Tucker/Danny turned his body to walk away, but Sam suddenly made her decision.**

" **Okay," she said, grinning. "But only because you got suit up. I'll go change into that dump dress I wasn't gonna wear," she said extremely fast before slamming the door.**

"She really really wanted to go," Star said in a sing-song voice.

"Look, Fenton's in trouble," said Kwan, pointing at Danny who was looking back and forth worriedly at the two girls sporting a pissed-off expression (in the Red Huntress's case, she was crossing her arms due to the visor obscuring her expression). "You said you wanna help him out? Now's probably the time."

Dash shrugged helplessly. "It's girls, man. If they were as easy as football, Dash Baxter would totally have scored a touchdown." Dash looked at Paulina surreptitiously from the corner of his eyes.

**Phantom came out of Tucker's body, and then said a "see ya!" before taking off.**

" **That is so unfair," complained Tucker. "As soon as Sam comes back, I'm gonna—" The front door opened again, Sam came out already wearing her dress. Tucker grinned in amazement.**

" **Come on, we're gonna be late!" she said, grabbing Tucker's hand and ran.**

" **Yeah!" Tucker said, excited.**

The Red Huntress sighed. "I'm glad Tuck managed to have a good time after all."

Danny stared guiltily at both of them. "I'm really sorry. I was so stupid and I didn't think about what my actions had caused to you both."

He turned to Sam. "And Sam…you know… I really did deserve that nickname 'clueless no. 1' after all. I'm sorry," he said sadly. "Oh man, there's gonna be a lot more apologizing with this show's goin' on," he smiled wanly.

Tucker was easy to forgive. "It's okay, man. You're only human after all." Danny had to smile at that. Valerie and Sam let it go since they saw that Danny really did feel bad about his actions.

**In the mean time, Phantom phased intangibly and invisibly out of the street in front of Paulina's house. He flew up to the door and changed into Fenton mid-air.**

" **Paulina," Danny practiced to himself. "About the amulet…It's an ancient family heirloom and I need to get it back." He then promptly slapped a hand to his face.**

Many people in the room giggled at Danny's antics.

" **Ah no, that stinks."**

**The front door opened with a creak. A bulky man (complete with some chest hair on display) came out from it. His expression was not friendly.**

" **Oh hi!" chirped Danny, who had to look up from his much shorter height. "Uh…you must be Paulina's dad!"**

**The man clenched his fists. "If you upset her, we're going to have a violent talk."**

Dash gulped in sympathy. "B-but he couldn't possibly scare Fenton, right?" he said aloud.

Danny scowled. "Just who do you think I was? Rambo with a shotgun?" He had long started to get tired of people either hating him or treating him completely different due to hero-worship — that included his former bully who he'd almost prefer back to his normal bullying routine, instead of…whatever this was.

"But you're Danny Phantom," said Mickey.

"And you've known me since fourth grade, Mickey, including the time when we got stuck in detention together and had to clean up the school bathrooms." Danny shuddered. "Darn the spiders."

He successfully made everyone more relaxed.

"Don't you dare insult the spiders," Sam retorted.

"You're afraid of spiders?" asked Dash, incredulous. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"Well," Danny rolled his eyes. "Why should I give you more stuff to torment me with? If you ever try that on me now though, I can easily freeze your butt off, Dash." Danny turned his eyes green, grinning mischievously.

"Ah, and the audience is left disappointed," Tucker sighed mockingly.

**Paulina suddenly appeared in a pink dress. "Papa," she interrupted. "You're scaring him. Come on, Danny." Danny had started to smile but stopped, noticing the amulet on the girl's neck. "We're going to be late."**

" **Have a wonderful evening, baby!" sent off the father, who then bent down to threaten the boy. "I know where you live—"**

"— **and I'm glad we had a chance to talk," Danny hurried off to follow Paulina.**

"Danny," called Paulina, smiling. "I have to tell you that my papa has been quite impressed with you ever since that meeting."

"Uh…thanks?"

"He said that you have a backbone, even before I knew you were Phantom. Maybe this is destiny!" continued the beauty queen brightly.

"I'm…pretty sure that I don't really want to get together with your papa, Paulina," said Danny hesitantly.

The room burst out laughing. Paulina slapped a hand to her head.

"I don't know, Danny," gasped Tucker, doubling over. "He's got fabulous chest hair! And look at those arms!"

.

**Casper High School was decorated lavishly for the dance night. A banner ("School Dance 2 Nite!") hung up the ceiling alongside many balloons. The lightning was colorful and the hall was bustling with people. A loud disco music played in the background. Many students were already dancing. Among all the excitement, Lancer walked around in his school teacher uniform and with a book in his hands.**

Many people snickered.

" **Let's get down with our bad selves," he muttered. "Yo! Shake that thing…Hey, gee….You're my dawg…" He seemed pretty proud of himself.**

Now a lot of people openly laughed. Lancer himself was smiling; at least he managed to be funny to these youngsters.

**Danny grabbed two glasses of punch and gave one to his date. "Paulina, I–I was thinking," he began. "That amulet—"**

" **—isn't it fabulous? I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me."**

" **Yeah, well…a–about that," Danny tried again. "See, I shouldn't have given it to you in the first place because…," he trailed off searching for reason. Danny spotted Sam and Tucker among the crowd. "It belongs to Sam!"**

"Wow, you really are clueless," Sam said amazed. A lot of girls in the room shook their heads and laughed.

"This is beyond tragic," said Star. "I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it."

Tucker nudged Danny, who was very abashed. "I'll be available if you ever need lessons….especially now that you're with Sam."

**Paulina's eyes immediately became reptilian-like. Her forked tongue slurped the drink in anger. There was a sound of inhuman growling coming out of her and the glass was subsequently crushed by her hands.**

**Danny handed her his glass. "Uh…but I wanna make it up to ya. I'll get you something else! Something…more special."**

"Not good enough," said Ishiyama, taking pity at the hapless boy.

**In another part of the hall, Lancer had found the Fenton parents. "Mr. Fenton!" he greeted. "About our conversation the other day concerning Danny."**

**Jack frowned, confused. Witnessing all of that, Danny quickly said to Paulina, "Like punch! I'm gonna get you some special punch!"**

"Only now I can appreciate your special punch, Danny," uttered Paulina, casting a longing look at the boy.

Danny, as expected, felt increasingly weirded out by the girl.

**Danny went over invisibly behind his father's back and walked into his body. "Yes!" Jack/Danny answered. "Danny, what a fine boy he is…ha! As his father, I get that all the time."**

**Maddie looked worried. "Jack, you sound kinda strange."**

" **Oh, must be something I ate." He looked at the punch table. "Hey, how about I get us some punch?" Without waiting for an answer, he took off. "Excuse me, excuse me! Adult coming through. I shave every day."**

The students sniggered.

**Jack/Danny went over to where Sam and Tucker were standing. "Tucker, Sam, we've got trouble," he said without preamble.**

**Tucker looked panicked. "We had nothing to do with it, Mr. Fenton. It was all Danny's idea!"**

" **Tucker, it's me! It's Danny!" He took out two walkie-talkies. "Sam, you try to help me find Paulina. Tucker, keep an eye on my dad. If he starts talking to anyone, page me, got it?" With that, he left.**

**Sam smirked. "This dance is getting better and better with every passing minute." She ran off to do her mission. Tucker also did his soon afterwards.**

"Nice teamwork from you three," complimented Tetslaff.

"Nice leadership, Mr. Fenton," complimented Mr. Floyd, the Government and Politics teacher.

" **Danny, I got her," paged Sam to Danny when she saw her target passing by.**

**Danny was still in Jack's body. "Stay on her. I'm on my way," he commanded. "And Sam, don't make her angry." He slid out of his father's body.**

**.**

**The scene changed to Sam who confronted Paulina in the toilet. Paulina was fixing her make-up.**

"Um…Sam," commented Danny. "You were supposed to keep an eye on her, not to talk with her."

"I know," nodded Sam. "I couldn't resist, plus I thought it was a good opportunity to try getting that amulet out of her."

"From what I remember, the outcome is pretty much the opposite, Sam," snickered Tuck.

" **Paulina, nice dress," Sam called out.**

**Paulina turned around. "Yes, and it goes so nicely with _your_ amulet. Don't you think?" She smirked.**

" **My amulet?" asked Sam, confused. "That's not my"— she paused as an idea came over her — "Right. Listen, my grandma gave me that amulet, and—"**

" **Forget it, sweetie," interrupted Paulina snidely. "I'm not giving up this trinket, or your little boyfriend Danny."**

" **My boyfriend?" Sam awkwardly laughed. "And they said pretty girls can't be funny. Danny is not my boyfriend."**

"But he is now," said Sam to Paulina. "And you'd better believe it!"

The other girl harrumphed. "For now…"

Sam growled. "What do you even mean by that?"

Danny interjected, "Uh…girls? Let's not fight anymore, okay?"

" **He's not?" Paulina on-screen stated dubiously.**

" **He's my best friend. Maybe that's why I was so hard on you. I didn't mean to call you shallow."**

"Wow, Manson was being friendly to Paulina for once," exclaimed a surprised Nathan.

Sam snickered. "That was quickly remedied."

" **Oh, what a bummer," muttered Paulina. "I only agreed to go out with him because I thought I was stealing him from you. Here," she gave and fastened the amulet on Sam's neck. "Take your crummy amulet. I'm going back inside to dump your dorky friend." Paulina went away.**

Somebody paused the video, but it was silent in the room. Everyone was staring angrily at Paulina.

"I…I," Paulina opened her mouth and closed it, looking for a way to defend herself, but she couldn't.

Star was the first to speak. "I've always told you to stop before you dig your own grave, Paulina."

"That was low and underhanded, Paulina," Dash spoke out suddenly. "Even more than the usual tactics you've tried with me. I thought I could like you, but unless you change…" he shook his head.

"I didn't mean it alright!" exclaimed the panicking girl. "Dash baby, don't be like that please." Her popularity was slipping away completely from her grasp for the first time. "You guys watched Manson starting the whole thing with her stupid shallow comment. How can you blame me?"

"Okay, first off I have apologized for that comment. Second, now that everyone knows you don't like Danny for who he is, back off!" Sam said.

Paulina turned to face the goth. " _Mierda!_ I am not about to let the ghost boy be with a hypocritical, selfish goth _puta_ like you!"

"That's it, _bitch_! You want a fight, you're on!" Sam launched a punch and took Paulina to the ground. Paulina shrieked.

" _Sense and Sensibility_ , people!" yelled Lancer, coming over. "Get Miss Manson and Miss Sanchez apart!"

But the students did not comply for they were waiting for this moment to happen. The legendary enmity between Paulina Sanchez and Sam Manson had been going on for years, especially now that the boy they fancied turned out to be one and the same. The two girls were rolling on the floor, each trying to pull and hit a body part of their rival. Their hair turned out to be an easy target. The fight ended up turning into a classical all-girl fight, with the hair being the main commodity in this violent version of tug-of-war. Paulina was at a huge disadvantage due to her longer hair. However, she countered by pulling on Sam's prominent single ponytail. The girls were screaming both in rage and pain.

Tucker, Danny and the Red Huntress were the only ones gaping at the scene, unable to believe their sights. The students were chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" for a few moments before Danny couldn't take it anymore. He turned ghost, to the delight of the students watching.

.

The flash of light turned Dash's attention to the now-ghost boy. He stared a bit open-mouthed — watching it on TV was a bit different from watching it in front of your eyes — at the ghost in place of his former bully victim. Those luminous green eyes caught his gaze. Dash promptly nodded as he understood Danny's message somehow. He went over to stand near Paulina.

Phantom strode forward confidently, holding a small green ectoplasmic ball in his palms. The students stared curiously wondering what he would do. He raised the ball on one hand, nodded to Dash, and suddenly, the flare became so bright that everyone in the room had to avert their eyes. When the bright spots in their eyes had receded, they could see Phantom holding a struggling Sam on one side and Dash holding a struggling Paulina on the other side.

"Sam, calm down!" Danny tried.

"Lemme go, Danny!" Sam spat, her appearance messy. "This shallow, delusional _bitch_ has it coming a long time."

Paulina was even messier. "Watch who you're calling _bitch_ , you slut. You think you're so edgy and deep it's pathetic!"

"EVERYONE CALM DOWN!" a loud voice suddenly deafened the ears of everyone present. Apparently, Principal Ishiyama had taken control of the speakers, and was using it to make herself heard. "IF I SEE ANYONE FIGHTING, YOU WILL HAVE TO FACE EXPULSION FROM SCHOOL!" The girls stopped struggling.

"Oh man," Danny muttered, holding his ears, "Does she really have to be that loud?"

The harmless-looking Principal jumped off from the stage, looking stern. "Now. Miss Manson and Miss Sanchez, both of you will serve one-week detention with Mr. Falluca, starting tomorrow."

"Together?" They both comically said simultaneously, expressions aghast.

"Yes, together," she affirmed sternly. The students started to go back to their spots, seeing that the excitement had abated. Danny looked at Sam worriedly while turning human.

"Hey Sam," he began. "I…uh…really appreciate you defending me like that, but you don't have to feel insecure, you know. No matter what Paulina does, you're the one I fall in love with."

Her expression was still murderous. "That's just it, Danny. _You_ don't mind. I mind. I mind about girls chasing after my boyfriend, even though I'm right in front of their stupid faces!"

Danny was silent, at a loss to say anything constructive to Sam. Tucker came over, grinning and holding his PDA.

"I've got all the footage! This is going to be viral in the net! Can you imagine? Casper High's ultimate all-girl smack down! Who's gonna—hey!" He was cut off as Danny wordlessly slipped his PDA away from him and pressed some buttons to delete the recording.

"That's just mean, man!" Tuck glared.

"Better me than Sam's boot to your manliness," shrugged Danny. They continued watching.

**Sam's anger at Paulina made the amulet act and changed her into a dragon. "SHALLOW LITTLE WITCH!" the dragon roared.**

**Paulina turned around, saw the dragon, and immediately fainted. Danny, who was standing outside the girl's toilet, started to investigate. "Paulina? Sam?" he called out. When he received no answer, he came running inside and found…...the dragon had destroyed the roof of the toilet and flew away to the night air — the prone body of Paulina was clutched in its claw.**

"Wow damn," Dash commented to Kwan. "Just when you think their fight couldn't turn more violent."

Principal Ishiyama was next to the screen glaring at some particular people – mainly Sam, Paulina, and Danny. "I have you three marked down for the destruction of a school property in this silly fight."

"But that was in the past," reasoned Danny, resigned.

**Danny changed into Phantom. His expression was determined as he shot into the air to follow the dragon's flight path. Phantom managed to catch up and he landed a full-bodied kick to the dragon's neck. The dragon fell down, crash-landing on the football field.**

Someone in the marching band club accidentally clashed a cymbal against another cymbal. He was quickly shushed by his friends for disturbing the engaged crowd.

" **Take it easy, Paulina," Danny said. "You don't wanna hurt Sam." Then he looked at the person grasped within the claw who was decidedly not Sam. "Paulina?" He stared at the dragon in realization. "Sam!?"**

" **SHALLOW GIRL!" grumbled the dragon, getting up.**

" **Yep, that's Sam."**

**The dragon-ghost poured out green fire at the boy, who turned himself intangible to avoid harm.**

" **Whoa, Sam! Two words, breath mints."**

"Are you implying that my breath stinks, Danny?" said Sam, smiling. She tried to forget the recent events.

Danny got the drift. "I dunno," he replied, smiling back. "I'm pretty sure I was right, but would ya care to prove me wrong?"

Sam's smile was now resembling a smirk. "Oh, I see what you did there. Smart." Then she proceeded to kiss him in full-view of the student body and faculty. She felt Danny kiss her back.

"Whoa whoa," Tucker said, half-horrified half-sniggering.

Paulina made no move to hide her disgusted expression.

**Phantom quickly flew up and snatched Paulina from the dragon's grasp. It roared in anger. However, as he was flying away, Phantom failed to see the dragon's tail smacking them right on target. They were thrown away and would have hit one part of the stadium seating, if not for the fact that Phantom activated his intangibility at the last moment.**

**Meanwhile, Dash was wooing a girl behind the said seating. "So," he said. "Do you like…quarterbacks?"**

**Danny and Paulina barreled in. Needless-to-say, there was an awkward moment when Phantom, Dash, and the girl stared into each other, gaping.**

" **Uh…sorry," began Danny. But then, the dragon-ghost had located them and promptly lifted the part of the seating.**

"Uh uh, second property destruction," remarked Ishiyama.

Sam looked rather guilty.

**Dash and the girl ran away screaming. The dragon threw the structure away like it was nothing more than a Frisbee.**

" **Now Sam, be reasonable." Something in Danny's pocket suddenly rang. It was a pager from Tucker.**

" **Danny! Lancer's getting close to your dad!"**

**He made a quick decision. "I hate to do this Sam." He flew over to the back of the dragon, lifting up the dragon by his tail and turned it in circles up in the air. He let go when the momentum was enough, and the Sam-dragon was thrown away like a catapulted rock.**

Many people in the court unnecessarily cheered.

Danny grinned sheepishly at Sam. She waved it off good-naturedly.

**Phantom smiled in satisfaction, but then he stopped short. "Oh man, dad!" He quickly shot toward the school building.**

"What is this power once again called, Mr. Fenton?" asked Mr. Lancer rather abruptly.

Danny gave him a questioning look. "The one that makes you able to take over someone else's body." Lancer clarified.

Danny and Tuck exchanged glances. "Well, the ghosts usually call it 'overshadowing', so that's how we usually call it," explained the ghost boy.

Lancer nodded in understanding. "Be careful, Daniel. People might become wary of this particular power."

Danny nodded wholeheartedly. "It's not my favorite either, Mr. Lancer. I don't use it often."

"Good," the teacher said, still looking deep in thought.

Danny looked at Sam and Tucker. They could only shrug.

.

**Foley's House, 18.56 p.m.**

Maurice and Jack had, predictably, cheered watching the action. However, Jack's face turned a bit somber when he realized what his son was about to do in the next scene.

**Back inside the dance venue, Jack was walking around casually before he spotted his wife with a man he didn't know.**

**"Hey..." he frowned.**

**Maddie and Lancer turned to him.**

**"Who the heck are you and why are you talking to my wife?"**

Jazz face palmed. She seemed to do that very often.

"You're very sweet, darling," beamed Maddie to her husband. "Even though that jealousy can be toned down a tiny bit."

The husband only shrugged, not even remotely feeling apologetic. "I can't help it. I have a beautiful wife, two great kids, and a job that I love. Many men would kill to be in my position." He grinned, but then the grin disappeared as he remembered a certain college best friend.

**"Jack," Maddie reminded him. "This is Mr. Lancer. From the parent-teacher conference?"**

**Before Jack could voice any more of his confusion, Danny had phased invisibly from below and overshadowed his father.**

Jack winced.

**"Right, right," smiled Jack/Danny. "I'm sorry...it's just in this light, I thought you were George Clooney! Isn't he sharp, Mom–I mean, Maddie?"**

"Wow," Jazz blinked in amazement. "That was quite smooth of Danny. Didn't know he had it in him."

**"Well," Lancer was beaming. "Thank you."**

**"Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to dance with my wife. That's what we adults do, dance with our wives." Jack grabbed Maddie to the dance floor.**

Maddie chuckled. "I suppose I'm used to strange things that it didn't really register to me my husband's not acting himself."

"How did it feel to be overshadowed, Jack?" asked Angela, curious.

Jack thought for a moment. "Well, I felt...disoriented. Yes! That's the word, disoriented. It felt like there was a big time skip and my memory couldn't find anything to fill the gap. Hmmm, I wonder if there was some kind of quantum theories applicable in this case. This could be the next breakthrough in paranormal science!" Jack started to get enthusiastic. "They're gonna remember Jack Fenton as the one who figured out how ghost powers work!"

Jazz sighed. "As long as it doesn't involve any Danny experiment, okay Dad?"

"Of course of course," said the man, distractedly.

Maddie's smile wavered a little bit. The Foleys raised their eyebrows.

**The Fenton husband and wife danced in the middle of the floor. Maddie sighed contentedly. "Doesn't this bring back memories?"**

**"If by memories you mean things you remember that I don't, then yes!" Jack grinned nervously. "Go ahead and remind me of stuff I'd totally agree on remembering."**

"Not so smooth now," said Jazz, laughing.

**It was already the end of the dance. Everyone was applauding the Fentons. Some were even catcalling. Maddie and Jack looked around surprised. It was at this time that Danny slipped out invisibly, flying away.**

**"What the heck?" muttered Jack, but then he noticed the crowd. "I mean er...thank you! Thank you all! On behalf of me, Jack Fenton!"**

Maurice burst out laughing and slapped the man's shoulder in jest. Jack grinned.

The atmosphere in the room had no trace of the tension occurring just seconds ago.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 18.58 p.m.**

It was at the height of the action where everyone was silent and deeply absorbed in watching what was shown on the screen.

**The dragon-ghost approached the school just as Phantom shot out of the building intangible, and flying at fast speed. The dragon roared three big torrents of fire – all of which were successfully avoided by the ghost boy who continued to fly up facing the enemy.**

**"I hate to say this, but you throw fire like a girl," provoked Phantom, grinning.**

"Manson's a hardcore feminist," said someone from the school newspaper. "He shouldn't have said that."

Her friend rolled her eyes. "That's why it is called provocation, Debby. Now shut up and watch."

**The dragon frowned its brows, clearly becoming more enraged. In the meantime, Phantom pulled out the Fenton Fisher from behind his back.**

**"The Fenton Fisher," he said, tasting the imminent victory. "It can capture ghosts and dragon-ghost. Way to go, Dad!" He threw the line and then it twirled itself around the neck of the dragon-ghost. Phantom flew around in a circular motion while expertly dodging the last torrents of fire the ghost spouted. When he finished, the line had warped itself around the the dragon-ghost's body like a cocoon. Lacking the ability to move its wings, the dragon swiftly fell down.**

**Phantom watched it fall, worried. He quickly went over the fallen dragon and pulled out the amulet from its neck. It was over. The dragon gradually turned into Sam.**

Some groups of students had cheered, including the A-listers who had treated the viewing as if it was a movie. They threw some of the popcorn to the air, drawing some disapproving looks from the faculty.

The marching band club utilized the equipment they had soon after, making some really loud noises with the drums, cymbals, tambourines and maracas – they were the ones to draw a glowing green-eyed glare from a certain boy.

It was short-lived though, since the hopeless romance enthusiasts of the school quickly retaliated with shushing sounds and gestures.

"For the sake of all things wearing-orange-bandana-and-named-Valerie-Gray, shut the heck up 'cause it's not over yet!" screamed a high-pitched male voice belonging to someone called Nathan.

The Red Huntress choked on her breath. Nathan's rather... _interesting_...expletives worked because everyone was now staring at him.

"Good," he puffed, sitting down.

**Off-camera, there was a flash of light when Phantom changed back into tuxedo-wearing Fenton. Danny bent down to put a hand on Sam's shoulder.**

**"Sam, are you alright?"**

**"Whoa," moaned the girl. "Did I have fun at the dance?"**

**"Well, uh..." Danny chuckled. "Let's just say you have a _roaring_ time."**

Everyone, except Danny, simultaneously groaned – the loudest of the groans belonged to one Tucker Foley.

**Sam smiled.**

Tucker snickered at the goth girl.

**.**

**Back at the dance, everyone had already started leaving. "Dude, sorry your date didn't pan out," comforted Tucker. "Where's Paulina anyway?"**

**They looked around to find her in the corner with none other than Dash.**

**"So...do you like quarterbacks?"**

**Paulina was not impressed.**

"Ah," Dash sighed, smiling. "It was the start of a beautiful relationship," he narrated.

Kwan, who was usually at the front row of the latest Dash vs. Paulina's messy breakup, slapped a hand to his face.

**"Ah, who cares?" Sam said relaxed. She pointed at the DJ who was going to play the last music of the night. "Look! DJ's still playing...and I think there's time for one last dance." She turned to Danny hopefully.**

The romance-enthusiasts started to cheer. "Take the hint, Danny, dammit!" shouted Nathan.

From his place, Danny grinned at his classmate and gave him a thumbs-up. He turned to Sam and smiled softly, just as the music from the viewing played. It was as if they were reliving the magical moment again. Sam looked at him, showing her rare wide grin to the school.

**"Sure I'd love to," Danny replied. "Keep an eye on this, will ya?" He gave the amulet to Tucker, who smiled watching them both.**

Danny put a hand carefully on Sam's cheek. She leaned in to his touch, her amethyst eyes were gentle.

"So...," said Danny softly, as if he was asking for her permission.

Sam's widening smile could be felt in his palm. "Sure, I'd love to," she whispered softly, eerily mimicking what the Danny on-screen had said.

They kissed. **Danny and Sam were swaying to the music.** Danny and Sam's bodies shifted against each other as they deepened the kiss. The romance enthusiasts went into hysterics. **"Promise you'll keep your pants up?" "I'll do my best."** Some people applauded, even the faculty had to smile.

.

**"Wait a second," Tucker's voice filtered in. "I'm dateless again? What does a guy have to do to get hooked-up around here?"**

"Maybe pulling your pants down, Tuck?" said the Red Huntress who had quietly moved to sit near to the trio when everyone was distracted.

Tucker grinned and shook his head playfully.

**Suddenly, the medieval-princess ghost crept up from behind the techno-geek. "I want to go to the ball!" she sobbed.**

**"On second thought, I don't need a date that badly. Hey guys, wait up! Can I cut in?" And the screen zoomed in to Tuck's disturbed face, ending the segment.**

It ended with many laughs and cheers from the students and the faculty. Danny and Sam pulled out, gasping for breath as they grinned widely. Then they laughed together and waved at everyone, adding to the volume of the cheers.

.

.

In the background, Paulina looked on without a smile on her face. Her eyes were burning with jealousy.

.

.

In another corner of the room, Dash was the only one to notice Paulina stalking off out of the basketball court. He turned worried eyes to his best mate, Kwan. Kwan, however, was busy throwing and catching some popcorn in the air, wrapped up in the excitement. Dash slumped and sighed.

.

.

**To be continued in "Skulker, the Toast Hunter" a.k.a. One of a Kind.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm trying to portray that even though Danny and Sam have a beautiful relationship, they're not completely trouble-free. Hopefully, you notice some potential cracks that could threaten their new relationship, plus the increasingly hostile opposition they will have to face. :D


	7. Skulker, the Toast Hunter I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom in any shape or form. I do not claim ownership over the dialogues of the characters taken from the actual show. I credit the actual writers of DP script for that. The words in bold are just novelization — a mere shade of the real thing. Go watch the Danny Phantom series if you truly want to feel the magic. I wholeheartedly support you on that decision. :D

**Chapter 7: Skulker, the Toast Hunter I**

**.**

**.**

**Casper High Basketball Court, 18.58 p.m.**

Danny fluffed up a pillow, adjusting it before plopping down with a sigh. His energy had pretty much depleted because of the two ghost attacks he'd had to deal with — one of them was even a major one. That was why he had accepted Lancer's weird gesture of kindness when the English teacher suddenly came up and wordlessly handed him the pillow. Perhaps the teacher was getting tired himself, for if he continued to act out-of-character, he might as well hand Danny an A for the latest English test tomorrow. But that was too good to be true, and Danny knew beggars couldn't be choosers.

He sniggered to himself. The antics of some people never ceased to amaze him. Beside him, Tucker was finishing Danny's cup of popcorn, having finished his own some time ago. Sam, on the other hand, had excused herself to go to the bathroom, especially now when the TV was on break showing advertisement. She brought her ringing phone with her.

"Has anybody seen Paulina?" Star's voice was suddenly heard. "I checked the girl's bathroom a while ago and she wasn't there!"

"That's weird. She hasn't told us coordinators she wants to go," replied Eve Lynn, a member of the Student Council and one of the volunteers for the night's screening. She was scratching her head confusedly, staring at the clipboard in her hands.

Tetslaff stood up. "I'll go check on her myself," commanded the teacher. "You kids don't need to worry. I'm sure Miss Sanchez is doing just fine."

Mickey joined into the fray. "We're not worried about Paulina, Ma'am. Not at all." He grinned, receiving high-fives from his fellow nerds. Star watched astounded. How could in just one screening — granted it was a screening that put the leader of her posse in a very bad light — the nerds already have the bravery to challenge the "queen"?

The wind of change was coming to Casper High, because even Tetslaff, for all her infamous severe reputation, did not reprimand Mickey.

.

Mr. Johannes Floyd, the relatively quiet Government and Politics teacher, scooted over to the control station and grabbed the TV remote. The screen was still showing advertisement, which was annoyingly quite many in numbers. He changed the channel for a while to see the news around the city, the country, and the world. At one point, he came across Channel Six News.

"This just in — we're going to relay to you some footage from a ghost fight which occurred earlier this afternoon. No news crew is reported to be downtown when the battle happened, but fortunately, there was a collection of raw recordings from anonymous witnesses. Danny Phantom was reported to be once again present and assumed control of the situation, along with Amity police department. No casualty has been reported, but there is some significant property damage…" It proceeded to play a shaky footage which seemed to be taken behind a glass window.

Floyd stared at the embarrassed half-ghost, so did everyone else. In the meantime, Sam had apparently came back from her bathroom break for quite some time, because she casually strolled to Mr. Floyd, made a gesture to ask for the remote (which the teacher gave after a short hesitancy), and changed back the channel to Amity Park News.

Danny gave a small smile to his considerate girlfriend. "Thanks!"

"No probs. Relax, it's only a short while before they get used to you," Sam said after she took her place.

"Yeah!" agreed Tucker. "There's only so many ghost fight before you get bored of 'em."

"I wouldn't say bored," said Valerie suddenly, still in her tech suit. "But ghost hunting's really become a common part of our lives, nothing special."

There was a silence.

.

"Val," Danny began hesitantly. "You're not...are you…I mean," he cleared his throat before continuing, "Do you still have a grudge against me? I'm…really sorry for what I did to you…after all this time." His expression turned solemn.

When Valerie didn't say anything for a moment, Danny looked down. He couldn't see her expression clearly due to the visor covering her face, and the uncertainty had quickly dragged him down. Tucker and Sam wisely stayed silent out of respect of their friend, but Valerie continued to be stoic.

Sam looked at Danny. She could almost see his confidence crumbling in the face of Valerie's indifference. She had to cut in for his sake. But after she gave a glare at the girl and opened her mouth, Valerie jerked.

"I understand, I understand," said Danny sadly. "I don't deserve your forgiveness after everything bad that I've caused in your life…I just—"

Tucker had stared at his best friend in disbelief and wanted to correct _everything wrong_ he found in Danny's sentence, when he — like Danny — was interrupted by a loud sob. Sam's eyes were wide open in surprise, staring at the visor-covered girl. The sobs increased in frequency, making the red-clothed girl's shoulders shake.

"…Val?" whispered Danny, a bit afraid now. "Please don't cry. I'm really sorry. I never wanted—" He gasped as he felt himself being hugged with a force so fierce, he was sure he would suffocate had he not been a half-ghost. He stiffened, staring wide-eyed at his equally surprised two best friends, before raising a shaky hand to pat the sobbing girl's back.

"…No...no," Danny felt Valerie shaking her head against his shoulder. "You have…nothing to be sorry for…" She hiccuped. "I'm sorry…. I'm sorry…so sorry…." She continued to repeat the words as she sobbed even harder.

Danny continued to hold her, gazing helplessly at his two best friends. Meanwhile, the scene had attracted the attention of some people, who were quickly whispering among themselves about why the infamous Red Huntress was hugging the Ghost Boy. The teachers even stood up, alarmed.

Sam and Tucker stared at each other, making a quick decision. They needed to do some "crowd dispersion", a tactic they used to do together when Danny's secret was still…well, a secret — which was done by none other than taking the object of attention away. So they promptly helped Danny ushered the sobbing girl to a shadowed corner which had a pillar to cover them from the public eyes. Sam and Tucker also did their best to glare and convey the message to the crowd: that they _at least_ needed to respect their privacy, after all that had been shown to them.

Valerie deactivated her visor once they got relatively concealed. She had let go of Danny. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she stared at the trio, embarrassed.

Tucker, true to his role, tried to break the tension. "So are Danny and you having a contest which one of you freaks out most spectacularly?" Sam immediately smacked her hand on his arm.

However, Valerie appreciated it. She gave a small laugh, wiping some tears from her face. Danny was smiling shyly.

"So…I guess," Danny said hesitantly. "Are we OK now?"

"As long as you can forgive me for what I did to you, Danny. I hunted you. Heck, I almost killed you…multiple times! I don't understand why you'd—" She became silent when Danny put his hands up and shook his head.

"I think we're gonna be stuck in this cycle of who forgives who if this continues." Danny smiled, happiness shining in his eyes. "You didn't know. I didn't tell you. As long as you can forgive me for that and the other things—"

"Now you stop, Danny Fenton," Valerie said firmly. "If I hear you turning the blame into yourself once again, I'm gonna harmlessly kick your butt."

At that, the trio burst laughing. "Harmlessly kicking his butt? What the heck was that?" exclaimed Tucker incredulously. Valerie started to smile.

There was a comfortable silence for a while as the four teens savored the mending bond of friendship they shared together. It was broken when there was a loud sound over the speakers, as Principal Ishiyama had taken over the speakers _again_.

"ATTENTION EVERYBODY, THE SHOW'S GOING TO START IN TEN SECONDS. ALL STUDENTS WHO ARE GOING IN AND OUT OF THE ROOM MUST REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE."

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie (with her visor in place once again) quickly moved to their original place. Danny grabbed his pillow and hugged them close to his chest after he sat down.

Valerie said quietly to Sam, "Um, I didn't mean anything by that hug, Sam. I dunno what came over me. Heck, I haven't cried since I was five! I was just so overcome with emotions…regrets…" Sam stopped her by raising her hands and shaking her head, a gesture that she must have learned from her boyfriend.

"Nah, I know you didn't mean anything by it, Valerie." She smiled. "I'm not that prone to jealousy."

"Sorry, it's just after seeing what you did to Paulina, I'm just cautious. By the way, nice right hook."

The girls shared a small smile.

.

The show started after the same unknown male voice narrated the start as the screen displayed the number five, then four, then three, then two, and finally one.

.

**The scene opened with an overview of the city's harbor. There was one particular warehouse filled with boxes of all shapes and kinds. Everything seemed quiet. The only sounds heard were the sounds of some rodents chirping as they hunt for food. Suddenly, there were the sounds of multiple bangs — possibly against the stone wall — and grunts. A spectral entity was thrown out intangibly through the wall, and into the interior of the warehouse. It was the Box Ghost.**

"Hey, I know that ghost!" exclaimed an overexcited Nathan. "Isn't he the Crate Creep, Danny? Is he?"

"…no," Danny replied after a pause, staring strangely at the guy. "His name is the Box Ghost. You'll see his power over boxes later on. How did you come up with the name Crate Creep anyway?" he asked incredulously.

"I remember Channel 6 calling the ghost by that name, Mr. Fenton," Lancer stated, raising an eyebrow.

Danny did a face palm. "Jazz," he muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. Before Danny revealed his secret, Jazz used to be the only Fenton child who could express any interest to their parents' profession. Danny was thought as having _zero_ interest in order to keep his facade. As the consequence, his parents discussed ghosts with Jazz, listening to some of her comments. Jazz's misnaming of ghosts must have carried on to the local channel since his parents were often referenced for things concerning ghosts.

To the room at large he answered, "Um… in about five seconds he'd be stating his name outright, Mr. Lancer."

**Danny Phantom came through the same wall in pursuit of the ghost, one hand was formed into a fist. After deactivating their intangibility, both ghosts faced off against one another.**

" **Beware!" said the offending ghost. "I am the Box Ghost! I have power over all containers, boards and squares!"**

Many people snickered. Tucker, Sam and Valerie only rolled their eyes at the familiar silliness of the ghost.

"See?" Danny grinned.

Lancer gave him a smile.

" **Okay, can we get this over with? I've got a test to study for," Phantom said, crossing his arms.**

Danny suddenly felt the glares of all the teachers in the room.

"Mr. Fenton!" Again, Lancer was the first one to bark. "Have you always been doing your…other activities…at school nights—even when there is a test on the next day?" The teacher seemed to be torn between anger and worry.

"Well, yeah," he answered, apprehensive. "Um…I thought you would've connected the dots by now between my performance at school and my …other activities…, Mr. Lancer."

The dawning comprehension, followed by shock, appeared on the teachers' faces, revealing that it was true, they had not really thought about the extent of the price their student had been paying all along. For the students watching this interaction, they started to realize that being a half-ghost and the town's superhero was not as easy as Danny had made it look. They viewed the young hero with renewed respect.

Danny shifted, uncomfortable with the sudden silence. Tucker snickered.

**The Box Ghost raised his arms in anger. "Study? There will be no time for study"—green glows covered many boxes in the warehouse as they started to levitate—"when you find yourself crushed beneath the forgotten possession of….," the ghost trailed off to read one of the boxes' labels. He continued, "Elliot Kravitz! Of Arlington Heights, Illinois!"**

"This ghost is a bit pathetic," Kwan laughed.

Star smirked. "So pathetic that you once ran away from him when he attacked the shoe boxes collection in the mall, right?"

Kwan blushed.

**With his powers, the Box Ghost lifted the contents of the boxes (there were TV, lamp stand, toaster, radio, wall mirror, and even a trophy podium) and levitated them, before quickly launching them toward Phantom. This impressive show of telekinesis….was only met with a lackluster response. Phantom did not even move an inch when he activated his invisibility, making all the projectiles slammed harmlessly to the wall behind.**

Some students laughed and cheered. Danny rolled his eyes, smiling.

**The Ghost Boy on the screen sighed. "I don't have time for this!" He returned to the plane of visibility. "Hey Tucker let's go!"**

"Huh?" commented the Red Huntress. "What could Tucker do?"

**To the left, a door was kicked forcefully open until it broke by two intrepid sidekicks, Sam and Tucker. Tucker bought a thermos while Sam bought a …book.**

"Oh okay," snickered the Huntress.

Tucker gave her a mock-glare. "Never underestimate the power of Tuckerino in action." That successfully sent her into laughing fits.

"—who had just caused an unnecessary property damage," interrupted Lancer. "Mr. Foley and Ms. Manson, was that really necessary?"

Tucker and Sam blushed.

"…but it was really cool!" defended Danny, grinning. The other students also exclaimed their agreements.

Lancer nodded, a small smile on his face.

**The Box Ghost gaped seeing them both. Tucker twirled the thermos on one finger. "Goodnight everybody!" He opened the lid and aimed it. A white-blue vortex appeared while Phantom quickly grabbed the ghost by the front of his collar, throwing him to the path of the beam. The Box Ghost was ensnared and immediately sucked into the thermos, screaming "NOOOO!" dramatically.**

Some students, especially the A-listers and cheerleaders, unnecessarily cheered.

"Come on, guys!" exclaimed Danny. "Do you have to do that _every single time_!?"

There were some sheepish laughs.

**Tucker closed the lid. "Parameter secure."**

" **Parameter secure? What are you, a navy seal?" asked Sam, eyebrows raised.**

" **Seals!" Phantom exclaimed as he landed next to them. "Aquatic mammals that bark! They're…canines, right?"**

Lancer and some of the AP Biology students simultaneously said, "Wrong." The rest sniggered.

"Sorry," Danny said sarcastically. "I wasn't even awake for that lecture! The only thing I could remember was Mr. Lancer saying 'all that bark is most likely canines'."

Lancer surprisingly said nothing. He gazed at Danny with a half-contemplating, half-sad expression, freaking the boy out in the process.

Sam interjected, "Yeah, but you mistakenly assumed that seals bark. They don't. They just sound like they're barking."

"So," mused Tucker. "If there's a saying, 'the girl is barking mad', it means the girl is a…bit—I mean, canine?" He grinned. There were many snickers from the guy while the girls glared at the techno-geek. The most extreme was the reaction of the Red Huntress, who readied a gun with a click.

"I'm sorry! I was wrong! Don't kill me!" whimpered Tucker, eyeing the gun.

Valerie smirked.

"—well, there's no way a girl can be a canine, Tuck," said Danny, thinking. "Aren't humans supposed to be homo sapiens? See, I can get a biological term right," he smiled smugly.

Some people had to sigh at that, including Sam. "What the heck am I going to do with you, Danny?" she said with a fond smile.

"What? I'm right, aren't I?"

" **Wrong," Sam drawled, checking her book. "That's zero for twenty one."**

" **I'm no teacher but I'm guessing that's an F," commented Tucker, spinning the thermos again on his index finger.**

**Phantom sighed, but then he hovered above his two friends determinedly. "Come on you guys. If you're gonna be superhero sidekicks, you're gonna have to be a little more focused. Sam, you're supposed to be helping me study for the test tomorrow. And you're supposed to be helping me catch these ghosts"—he pointed at Tucker, then raised his arms in consternation—"so I have time to study!"**

"Exactly, Mr. Fenton," Lancer interrupted. "I wonder now why this"— he paused in search of the right words—"sidekicks system hasn't been working well, hmm? If your much lower grades than Mr. Foley and Miss Manson are any indication…"

Danny blushed, looking down. "Uh…there's supposed to be an explanation for that." He looked at his two best friends for help.

"Two words, dude," said Tucker. "Solo acts."

"Don't think we haven't noticed you playing hooky with us for these so-called 'dangerous' ghost fights," Sam accused.

"But they _are_ dangerous for humans!"

"…you're seriously gonna exclude yourself from that category?" Tucker raised his eyebrows.

Danny only responded with silence while scratching the back of his neck, somehow giving his friends — and those watching — the impression that he'd unconsciously been thinking along that line. Wordlessly, Sam reached out and pulled his arm down, grasping his hand in a firm clasp.

"Well don't." Sam stared steadily at him.

Danny quirked a small smile. "Of course, Sam."

**Tucker continued to spin the thermos carelessly. "What! They're all right here." He then accidentally dropped the thermos. There was the word "RELEASE" displayed on the interface before it did just about that; releasing numerous ghosts who immediately flew out of the warehouse. The trio's hard work was for naught.**

There were a lot of slapping sounds around as people did a mass face palm. The more uptight students were glaring at the techno-geek, who started to sweat due to the attention. Lancer, in particular, gave the boy his sternest glare.

"Now that I think about it, I suppose we could approach my dad to fix that function," mused Danny who didn't join the glare-fest. "But it could also turn out bad if I ever get stuck in a thermos with no one to press the release button."

"That's…unlikely to happen, isn't it?" asked Kwan hesitantly. "You getting stuck in the thermos?"

Danny replied with a wry smile. "Oh it happened. Wouldn't recommend it for anybody of course. There's no fun in a small, dark, enclosed space where you'd end up mulling your darkest fears over and over without knowing whether you'd escape or not."

Kwan paled, along with some others. "That bad?"

"Just kidding," grinned Danny. Tucker and Sam raised their eyebrows.

**The Box Ghost was one of the escapees. "Ha ha! I am the Box Ghost! You cannot hold me within the confines of a cylindrical container!" he exclaimed before leaving.**

" _The Great Gatsby_ ," gasped Lancer. "This guy's a literary genius of alliteration!"

Danny, Sam and Tucker together said, "No, he's not!"

There were many snickers heard from the crowd.

Tucker nudged Danny. "I'm starting to speculate that ghost powers might include the power to alliterate! Remember 'duelling doppelgänger'?" That effectively cut Danny's laugh short.

" **That's weird!" Tucker said, bringing up his PDA. "According to my schedule, you should be done catching ghost by now." The gadget screen displayed a notification. Phantom glared at him.**

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Danny replicated his glare sarcastically to his best buddy.

**The video suddenly changed its point of view to the perspective of a mysterious someone observing the trio with a pair of high-tech binoculars.**

" **Hmm," a deep voice reverberated. "Half human, half ghost. One of a kind." The screen revealed a green-haired ghost in a mechanical armor, otherwise known as Skulker. "He'll make a fine addition to my collection." There was a cage full of small ghosts behind him.**

"What?" exclaimed Danny. "He was watching us at that time?"

Tucker and Sam were also baffled.

Michael Cohan, a guy from the film club who had never spoken before, raised his voice after a short silence. "For a supposed documentary, it's like whoever made the video has an omniscient view on your life…., uh…Fenton."

"Isn't that a bit creepy?" Star said. Everyone did not need to express themselves to know they were in mutual agreement.

**The Box Ghost suddenly appeared near the cage and tried to scare the inhabitants — "tried" being the operative word.**

" **Touch the box and your pelt will adorn my fireplace," threatened Skulker casually without even turning to face him. The Box Ghost immediately stopped trying and left quickly, with one last bellow of "Beware!"**

"He wants….ghost pelt to adorn his fireplace?" asked Principal Ishiyama with a horrified and disgusted expression.

Danny shrugged. "The guy's got issues."

**Skulker continued to use his binoculars to observe the half-ghost boy. The camera faded out just as he zoomed in to Danny's unaware face.**

"Gee, what a nice Skulk-stalker I have," joked Danny.

A lot of snorts could be heard. Tetslaff, who was slurping a glass of vitamin water, involuntarily sprayed it out.

"Fenton!" she bellowed.

Danny looked baffled for a moment before quickly replying, "Miss Tetslaff!" Now many people laughed out loud.

"Nicely played," the teacher grumbled begrudgingly while grabbing a wipe to mop the mess. The boy sent a bright grin in her direction.

Danny's grin slowly faded to dread when he realized what was playing next.

**The screen lighted up again playing the familiar "Danny Phantom Theme Song".**

"… _Gonna catch them all 'cause he's Danny Phantom…_ " Tucker, Sam and Valerie sang along the verses while controlling their guffaws — some still escaped mid-singing causing them to make choking sounds — loudly to Danny's ears. The boy was curled up, clasping his knees and pulling them down towards his chest, all the while trying to ignore the world completely for those painful seconds.

Some people from the band club couldn't resist playing their instruments alongside the song, to the annoyance of many. There was a unity in the school like before, all poking harmless fun at their classmate who turned out to be their beloved hero all along. That was why many who were familiar with Danny Fenton knew that he could take a joke good-naturedly.

Unlike before, the person depicted so cartoonish-ly in the screen was in the room with them. The students — as well as the majority of teachers — laughed at the absurdity of the situation once the song finished.

**There was a title card with the words "One of a Kind" featuring Skulker and Danny Phantom in the midst of their fight.**

"Great artwork!" complimented a couple of students taking the Art Class. The Art teacher, Madam Piacenza, nodded in approval.

From their place, Tucker elbowed his friend, snickering. Danny had put his hands on his ears. "Hey dude, you ok? You'd better be 'cause _you're gonna catch 'em all cause he's—"_

"—da na na na na na Batman!" finished Danny hurriedly. He gave a death glare to Tucker. "I don't hear you and don't wanna hear you." He continued in a sing-song voice.

Tucker burst out laughing.

"Lay off Danny, Tuck," Sam said, grinning. The Red Huntress watched their interactions amusedly, smiling unseen behind her visor.

.

"Where the heck were you, Dash?" Star's voice echoed shrilly. Heads turned, curious about the so-called "King of Casper High". Danny, Sam, Tucker and Valerie were among them. Dash was standing at the entrance, looking like he had just run a marathon. There were some spots of sweat in his red jacket.

"I…I was," Dash paused, his eyes darting around quickly, "using the bathroom. Yeah, I was just…using the bathroom." He cleared his throat.

"Oh that's a long time," Star cocked her head. "What were you doing? Oh…wait," she gasped, embarrassed. "Don't need to know that."

"Ew," muttered Sam. Danny and Tucker snickered hearing it.

Dash walked briskly to the committee section, registering his excuse there with the students-in-charge. He looked around with panicked eyes before spotting Danny. Then his expression became worried for a moment before he seemingly forced an expressionless face. It didn't quite work, in Danny's view. Then, the jock walked to his place near the A-listers.

.

**Foley's Residence, 19.06 p.m.**

"Anyone wants a coffee?" offered Angela, walking to the kitchen counter.

Maddie smiled. "Two cups for Jack and I would be much appreciated, Angie. Here…let me help."

"Jazz?" asked Maddie, turning her head back as she was already halfway to the counter.

Jazz shook her head. "I'm good, Mom…Mrs. Foley." With that she continued to write furiously on her pad.

Her father noticed her action. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's a just a little project of mine. Now I just need to apply John Bowlby's hypothesis on his behavior and then it's supposed to be…." She continued mumbling to herself as she was writing.

Jack and Maurice raised their eyebrows, not quite understanding her psycho-babble, but admired her studiousness nonetheless.

**It was morning at Fentonworks. The family was having their breakfast. Jazz ran up to the kitchen excitedly.**

" **Oh my gosh, they said yes!" She lifted up a magazine.**

**The other Fentons blinked. "Who said yes," Danny said mockingly. "The person you asked if you were a conceited snob?**

"Danny," said the three Fentons, shaking their heads. Maurice and Angela smiled, amused.

.

Some distance away in Casper High, Danny whispered to his friend, Tucker. "Why do I get the feeling my family's making a list of offenses they'd be grounding me with?"

"I get it. You want me to prepare some tactics to smuggle video games to your room."

Danny nodded, satisfied.

**.**

Back at the Foley's house, Maddie was biting her bottom lip. "Hmm, maybe we should make a list of things we want to confront Danny about. Overshadowing for one…"

" **No," Jazz said with narrowed eyes. "Genius Magazine said yes!" She went to her mother. "They got my letter! I wanna put Mom on the cover!" Hugging the magazine, she screamed like a fan girl.**

Maurice tried to disguise his snort as a cough, but didn't really succeed. He smiled sheepishly at the girl who looked up from her pad to mildly glare at him.

" **Genius Magazine?" asked Maddie.**

**Jack grabbed the magazine from her. "Genius Magazine! Is it the swimsuit issue?"**

**Jazz sighed. "Ah, Dad…Genius Magazine is for woman geniuses, by woman geniuses, and about woman geniuses."**

" **So it _is_ the swimsuit issue," Danny exclaimed smiling. "Ow, gross! Mom's gonna be on the swimsuit issue?"**

The women in the room — Jazz, Maddie and Angela — sighed together. "Men…"

"Hey," exclaimed Jack. "I take offense at that—that discrimination!"

"Wasn't Danny the one who ended up in that swimsuit issue?" asked Maurice, reminiscing. "Something about…a gorilla? No…that can't be right." He frowned. "There's something about the Bible, isn't it?"

"It's not a swimsuit issue!" exclaimed Jazz and Maddie. Angela only sniggered.

**Jazz retorted angrily, "It's not a swimsuit issue, but is the perfect magazine to show that I have normal parents instead of a couple of ghost hunting freaks!"**

"Aw, Jazz," muttered Jack.

Jazz winced.

" **They're not ghost hunting freaks," disagreed Danny.**

"Aw, Danny," muttered Maddie, smiling.

" **Hey, Danny!" called Jack grinning. "Speaking of ghost hunting, check out the latest in ghost hunting technology!" Jack grabbed the trinket his wife Maddie was tinkering about. "The Ghost Gabber! Genius Magazine has to be interested in this." He turned to Danny. "It takes the mysterious sound a ghost makes and translates them into words you and I use every day! Here"—he pushed the device right under his son's face—"try it!"**

"That's certainly an interesting invention," complimented Angela. Jack and Maddie smiled at her.

Maurice was thinking. "If you're sure that it only translates the sound of a ghost, then why d'ya test in on Danny? It's not like you knew his secret back then, did you?"

Everyone in the room looked at Jack, also intrigued. The inventor explained, "I thought since Jazz wasn't a ghost, I had to check whether Danny wasn't one too."

Jazz and Maddie gasped. "So you knew?"

"…no, Danny-boy passed the test." Jack gestured to the screen.

" **Uh… uh…" Danny stammered. "…boo?"**

**The machine translated what he said. " _I am a ghost. Fear me_." Danny raised surprised eyes up to his family. They blinked in confusion.**

" **I'd better get to school!"**

" ** _I'd better get to school. Fear me."_ The boy grinned and all but ran away.**

"How is that…passing the test?" asked Jazz, frowning.

"I figured a ghost wouldn't be as manifestly obvious as that…," Jack answered, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck, shamefaced. "They were supposed to be good at being invisible."

Jazz chuckled. "Since when has Danny ever been subtle? Do you guys know he has a battle cry?"

"Battle cry? You mean that 'goin' ghost' thing?" Maurice said, fascinated.

"Yes, Mr. Foley. And he shouts it out almost every time he…well, goes ghost."

Everyone was grinning, amused.

**Jack looked at the device with disappointment. Meanwhile, Maddie was checking out the magazine. "That's great about the magazine, sweetie, but your father and I are a team. I think that beside every genius woman, there's a genius man."**

"— **who should be standing beside her on the cover of Genius Magazine!" Jack interjected, hugging the woman sideways. "The world needs to know that the Fentons are a family of geniuses!" The way the man state it was as if he was in a heroic campaign with the background of the USA flag behind them.**

Maurice and Angela applauded, grinning. Jack did a mock-bow at them.

"Nice speech!" Angela exclaimed.

"I think I know where Danny gets his talent from," said Maurice. That made the father grinned.

**The scene suddenly cut to Casper High, where Danny's voice could be heard exclaiming, "I got a 'D'!?" which directly went against the Fentons' previous claim.**

"Wait, he got a 'D'!?" exclaimed Jack.

Maddie shushed him to watch.

**They were in the school library. "All these ghost hunting is taking away my study time!"**

"Poor sweetie." Maddie frowned.

**Beside him, Tucker said, "So much for the Fentons being a family of geniuses."**

" **I can't get a 'D' in Biology. My parents will kill me."**

"No we're not, honey," muttered Maddie sadly, "Now that we know the reason why."

" **Not if you pull your grade up," assured Sam optimistically. She was using a computer. "By doing an extra credit Biology assignment"— she opened up a picture of a gorilla on a window, with the caption "Extremely Rare Sampson"—"on this magnificent creature!"**

"Now I remember!" exclaimed Maurice. "A gorilla named Sampson on that swimsuit issue!"

"It's not a—"Jazz sighed. "Forget it."

Angela frowned. "No. I could have sworn Sampson's not….I don't know."

Maddie and Jack exchanged a secret glance and a wink, refusing to spoil the answer to the two Foleys.

" **A purple-back gorilla?" asked Danny. Indeed, the gorilla's back had a big purple spot on its fur.**

" **Yep," affirmed Sam. "Extremely rare. Only two left, both male. After this, they're gone forever, which is why you are going to prove why he deserves to be set free."**

"That's so weird," mused Angela, deep in thought. "I remember Tucker saying something about purple-back gorillas recently having three offspring. He was asking for my permission to visit the zoo with his friends at the time."

Maurice snorted. "Now that's quite an imagination, babe."

Jack and Maddie almost couldn't hold their snickers. Jazz rolled her eyes seeing the adults' antics. How did their son manage to keep a big secret for years with parents like their mom and dad?

**Danny was not completely sold on the idea. "I don't have time for extra credit…or your agendas!"**

" **Actually you do," interjected Tucker, holding his PDA. "You just have to learn how to manage it better. I decided to become your time manager. It's the least I can do after Sam made me let all those ghosts out." Sam gave him an angry glare.**

"Maddie, can I copy your idea of making a list? I'll have a lot of talks to do with my son," said Angela, crossing her arms.

"Sure, dear. We can compare notes once they're done."

Jazz suddenly felt bad for her brother and his best friend, but only for a bit.

**Danny sighed, doubtful. "I don't know…"**

" **It will be my job to keep track of your schedule, so you can do your school work _and_ catch all those ghosts that Sam let loose." Sam was now barring her teeth, growling.**

Angela scratched her pen on a piece of paper.

**The Ghost Boy was still not sold. "Remember what happened when I let you manage the thermos?"**

"— **and I've already scheduled 'remember: not to let Tucker handle the thermos'." The techno-geek showed his PDA's screen with the aforementioned words flashing from it.**

" **I suppose we can have a trial period," relented Danny, but Sam was still not appeased yet.**

" **See? I've also scheduled some zoo time so we can check out that gorilla." _That_ convinced the Goth. "Let's go." The trio of friends ran out of the library enthusiastically.**

The Fentons and the Foleys smiled. "Their friendship is really something else, huh?" said Maddie, beaming.

"I'm really glad my son approached your son back in kindergarten, Maddie," Angela added.

Jazz was left in silence. Before she knew her brother's secret, the only thing she envied from him was his bond with friends. Jazz saw life as a competition; she had to be the best, she had to prove to everyone she was a Fenton genius without the added weirdness, and she thought happiness could only be achieved with success in life. In the process, she had slowly pushed her friends away, because she rationalized that friends would come and go, while opportunities were happenstance.

Her little brother, on the other hand, had long stopped trying to live outside her shadow — a reality that she'd never admit to anyone that she'd secretly enjoyed it. He, in turn, invested his time and energy in the thing he treasured the most out of school life: his friends. Then their bond became closer and closer, especially aided by Danny becoming Amity Park's ghost fighter.

Danny was kind enough to open that bond of friendship to include her, but that didn't stop Jazz from being somewhat regretful of her priority choice.

**.**

**Casper High Basketball Court, 19.16 p.m.**

"I'm going to repeat this once again for all students, in case anybody _missed_ my first announcement." Lancer stated to the whole assembly, all the while eyeing a certain half-ghost boy with an indiscernible look. "Extra credit assignments are only undertaken as optional work. That means your grade can only be improved to the ten percent limit of the original."

More quietly, to Danny Fenton, he added, "I apologized, Daniel, for the fate of your Biology test. But that's the state-wide policy."

Danny, who was already half-asleep — unsurprising seeing that the previous scenes were already the life that he'd lived — blinked half-lidded eyes. "Mr. Lancer," he began hesitantly, "You do realize that was about three years ago, don't you? I mean, why do you even need to apologize—I mean, of course you can do what you want, sir," he corrected quickly. "But that's in the past so nothing's gonna change."

The teacher became a bit bashful, but then his face seemed to light up. "You never know, Mr. Fenton. In fact, you've just given me an idea I need to put into deliberation…."

Danny raised an eyebrow, confused. Then he couldn't resist a yawn, hugging the pillow closer to him.

**On the screen, Skulker phased through the library's wall, invisible, just missing the trio by seconds. He went to the computer Sam had just vacated. Turning visible, he observed the gorilla picture.**

" **Hmm…so this is your prey, eh ghost boy?"**

**A red haired boy with glasses came to the ghost nervously. "Uh…excuse me, sir?" Skulker turned and scowled at the newcomer. "Are you finished with the computer?"**

At this point, the nerds started to cheer Mickey's bravery. Mickey did not revel in it, however.

"You should see what happened next," said Mickey, looking down.

**Skulker raised both of his metal fists, which apparently had a built-up revolver on each with multiple chambers. Luckily for Mickey, the armored ghost did not intend to cause physical harm, because he only shot the boy with a series of sticky ecto-goo. Mickey was blasted upside-down to the wall and became trapped in an ecto-webbing. His arms, ankles and eyes were covered by the goo. Mickey screamed.**

Danny winced.

" **You thought you could sneak up on me!? Skulker?"**

**Mickey screamed again.**

"It was terrifying. I was afraid to die," whimpered the nerd. His group of friends comforted him sympathetically.

" **Ghost world's greatest predator? Quiet," commanded Skulker. "You're in a library." After that, he shot another ecto-goo to cover the boy's mouth, effectively shutting him up. Skulker then phased out from the library.**

"I would have screamed too in your position," Dash called out to the nerd, smiling hesitantly. All he got in response was half-terrified, half-confused looks, from Mickey and the nerds.

**Dash and another jock named Dale entered the room. They immediately noticed and _admired_ the nerd's predicament.**

" **Wow, you do that?" asked Dash.**

" **Nope, but I can always stop and appreciate high-quality bullying!"**

"Mr. Baxter and Mr. Snyder! Never have I been this ashamed of my students before!" Principal Ishiyama exclaimed. "I will have to review your football permits if I see this continues!"

Dash only nodded guiltily, while Dale — he'd joined the screening just because he wanted to keep up with the jocks and A-listers — said defiantly, "That's not fair! You didn't do anything to Fenton who did freaky ghost thing to his parent and Mr. Lancer! And what about that property destruction to our football stadium? Now that you have the culprit, you don't even want to expel him from school!"

Almost everyone gasped. Sam and Tucker were especially burning with anger, along with the Red Huntress, although she was more subtle about it since her identity was not yet in the open. Dash turned to Dale, betrayal written in his face.

"Mr. Snyder," intoned Mr. Lancer with forced calmness. "You should know I would have let your past…bullying…of your fellow student go, just like Mr. Baxter. But since apparently you haven't learned your lesson, I will see you tomorrow at the start of lunch break pronto, in my office."

Dale sat back down, muttering "this is so unfair" before settling on a brooding expression.

Danny had slept through the whole debacle. Sam and Tucker didn't have the heart to wake him up, and they were personally glad Danny did not hear what Dale Snyder had said.

.

**Ghost Zone, Time Unspecified**

There was a congregation inside the looming halls of the so-called ghost master of technology. Spectral beings of all shapes, sizes and powers were huddled together staring at the big screen projector at the front of the room. Technus really went all out. He had decorated the futuristic looking halls with glowing electrical linings of various colors – making the whole place look like it was a party hall similar to those from the human world. However, the lair definitely belonged to the underworld, because the comfy and plushy chairs scattered around were either a. floating aimlessly, b. stuck to the ceiling while the occupants were sitting upside-down, c. stuck to the walls while the occupants were lounging about, sticking various body parts to the said walls, or d. in the process of being the unceremonious food for some cannibalistic occupants.

Technus did look proud while he floated with his plush near the projector. His hands were controlling the technology equipment through a continuous stream of spectral energy. Other notable ghosts included the PDA-prone couple of Johnny and Kitty; the odd couple of Skulker and Ember; the dancing-around-each-other not-couple Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady; Amorpho (who used this rather idle time to practice his powers by mimicking every character that came into screen — Danny's quickly became a specialty for him); Desiree; Sidney Poindexter; Youngblood; Klemper; and lastly, Penelope Spectra and her ever-present assistant Bertrand (they were the most attentive in watching the show). The rest were other ghosts of various status and standings — most of them used to have no interest in coming to the human world, but they were watching the show like it was a forbidden fruit.

**The screen displayed the Amity Park Zoo as the setting after a black-out. The famous purple-back gorilla was in his huge cage, shaped like a dome. It changed perspective to Sam Manson, who was using her binoculars to zoom in on the creature.**

" **There he is, Sampson. So gifted, so…majestic!"**

In the audience, Skulker harrumphed inconspicuously, so that his hot diva girlfriend wouldn't notice.

**Sampson scratched his butt.**

**Danny, who was with Sam and Tucker inside an observation tower, said, "Sam, we've been watching the gorilla scratch his butt for… um…how long?"**

**Tucker yawned, looking at his watch. "Six hours…"**

**His yawn was contagious to Danny. "Time flies when you're majestically scratching your butt."**

"Ooh," Desiree commented. "The ghost kid certainly hasn't experienced how time flies when living like us for centuries."

Ember rolled her eyes. "Dipstick's a halfa, genie. Most probably he won't be like us."

"You never know, McClain," joined in Spectra with a glint in her eyes.

Many ghosts scooted away from the psychologist.

Johnny suddenly laughed at them. "Gee, have all your sense of humor died? The kid's only making a joke!" Kitty also laughed melodiously with him.

" **It's only a matter of time before you find out something about Sampson nobody's ever learned!" encouraged Sam. "You should go and try to communicate with him." However, she frowned upon seeing the person she was speaking to asleep on the floor.**

**She sighed. "Great. Tucker, you're his manager. Can you—" But Tucker was also asleep. The techno-geek yawned and then flipped over to cuddle with Danny.**

"Aw, how sweet!" cooed the Lunch Lady.

"I wish I had friends like Danny or Tucker," muttered Klemper sadly. Youngblood looked up sympathetically at the pajama-clad ghost.

Desiree grinned. "Your wish is my—"

"Not in the house, Desiree!" Technus shouted angrily. "Are you _mad_!? Breaking our etiquette in the house of I, Technus, Master of Technology and Most Respectable—"

"Shut up!"

The exclamations of various ghosts made the master of the house frown and grumble, while Desiree looked put out for not being able to use her powers.

" **I'll do it," Sam sighed. "But first"—she took out a Polaroid camera and snapped a picture—"Boys hugging makes every year book funny."**

Johnny laughed again. "I like this girl's spunk." Kitty suddenly coughed and cleared her throat. "…not as much as I like yours, baby," Johnny quickly continued. Kitty smiled and hooked up her hands on him for a smooch.

"Blegh!" said many ghosts.

**Meanwhile, Sampson was resting peacefully in his cage. Next to it was the cage of a sleeping tiger. Skulker suddenly phased in invisibly to the tiger's cage. He went tangible and visible as he pulled out his binoculars. The device zoomed in to the observatory tower where Danny and Tucker were still cuddling in their sleep. Unnoticed by Skulker, the sleeping tiger blinked away. It growled at the intruder.**

"You fucking _idiot_ ," Ember slapped a hand to her forehead. Skulker looked worried.

**Hearing the growl, Skulker turned his head. "Oh please," he said disinterestedly. They fought.**

"Did you win, Skulky?" asked an excited Youngblood. "Of course you won, did you?"

"Shut up, squirt," grumbled the hunter.

**However, the commotion woke up Sampson. He looked at his tiger friend who was in trouble. Sam approached the gorilla as he made distressed sounds.**

" **What is it, you wondrous being?"**

**Sampson continued to make panicked growls while waving an arm to the general direction of the tiger.**

" **Is…something wrong?"**

**Sampson then scrambled toward the cage door, hanging off of it while he continued his distressed growling. Sam misinterpreted it completely.**

" **You want out?" She quickly went to the control and pressed the "open" button. Thus, the gorilla was let loose.**

"So that was her fault…." Skulker growled.

Ember turned to him, confused. "What was her fault?"

"Nothing nothing," assured Skulker. "Just a hindrance to my hunt."

She scoffed. "A good hunter must be able to get his game no matter the hindrance. Are you a good hunter, dear Skulky?"

"Do _not_ call me Skulky," growled the hunter. "I am the ghost world's greatest hunter. Look at my preys trembling in fear before me, and I will have the ghost boy's pelt along with his hassle of a girlfriend."

Remembering her deal, Ember quickly thought of a way to calm her boyfriend down. "Eyes on the prey, not on the horizon, Skulk-babe. The ghost boy _is_ your price, remember? Now don't you get distracted by that worthless human girl."

Ember's ego-stroking worked because Skulker smirked in pride.

**The Ghost Zone's greatest hunter had got the tiger bagged up in a glowing net. He flew intangibly out of the cage, using his binoculars to trace his prey's position once more. The high-tech equipment suddenly displayed a blinking notification, "GORILLA ATTACKING!"**

" **What? Gorilla attacking?"**

**He was suddenly brought down by a charging Sampson, some of his suit's metal parts breaking apart. Sampson pounded the metal ghost with both arms.**

Every single ghost was laughing, with the exception of a frowning Skulker. Ember laughed the loudest.

**When the gorilla aimed a hit at Skulker's head, he blocked it with an arm, then followed it up with a kick that sent Sampson away from him. Skulker got up, gritting his teeth. Sampson was relentless — he charged at Skulker and _again_ brought him down. The gorilla spun the hunter's body like a ball using his legs. When it was over, Skulker slammed down on the floor.**

So many ghosts were now doubling over on the floor. Kitty and Ember had tears streaming down their faces.

**The gorilla next tried to bit the ghost's metallic arm, but it didn't work as a squirt gun suddenly appeared from the arm and shot an ecto-goo right at Sampson's eyes. The creature trampled backward wildly.**

Skulker smirked triumphantly, but it slipped off when he realized that his _failure_ brought more reactions from the audience. Tough crowd.

**The hunter shot a net from his wrist blaster, but he missed. Sampson, the gorilla, managed to catch the net instead and used it to spin the ghost — the net was attached to Skulker's wrist — wildly in the air. Skulker hit his wrist frantically, trying to release himself.**

"How does it feel…hmmm… Skulker… to have a lower intelligence than an ape?" Spectra smirked.

Incensed, Skulker moved to attack her, but he was held down by the combined forces of Ember, Johnny and Kitty.

"Dude…," Johnny grunted. "We…want…to…watch...the show…without your rackets!"

**Finally, the net snapped, and Skulker was thrown right through the windows of the observatory, breaking the glass. He landed next to the sleeping boys. Danny shivered as his ghost sense went off.**

"How dare you disturb the sleeping boys!?" growled the Lunch Lady. "They need both meats and sleep to grow up!"

Skulker stared at her blankly, and then pointed his index finger to the side of his head, making circles. Many ghosts snorted.

**Sam, who had just entered the observatory again, gasped. "Oh my gosh!" She was, however, quickly silenced by an ecto-goo to the mouth. Skulker turned toward the not-so-peacefully slumbering boys.**

" **Now, for the ghost child…"**

**Before he could do anything, Sampson suddenly came through the windows and charged at the ghost, bringing him down _again_ for the third time. They hit the wall, destroying a computer in the process. **

"That gorilla is a monster. How could he jump up so high?" muttered a bemused Youngblood.

**He slammed Skulker against the table, before Skulker managed to turn the tide around by grabbing the gorilla's arm and flung him away. Undaunted, Sampson quickly charged again. Skulker responded by turning his body invisible and intangible. He escaped through the wall.**

"Finally, his brain worked," muttered Ember quietly.

"Pardon?" asked Skulker, narrowing his eyes.

**Frustrated, Sampson continued to pound against the walls. The cacophony woke Danny and Tucker up. They screamed as they realized their awkward position and let go of each other. Spotting the gorilla, they screamed even louder.**

"He doesn't scream when he meets me, but he's scared of a gorilla?" commented the Box Ghost disbelievingly.

"I don't think...scared…is the right word for Phantom," replied Kitty hesitantly.

"Will you be my friend if I'm scared of you, Boxy?" whimpered Klemper, but even the Box Ghost had standards.

" **Gorilla! Loose!" exclaimed Tucker in panic.**

**Danny quickly acted. "I got him!" Triggering his transformation, he said, "I'm goin' ghost!" Like before, there was a cool transformation sequence when the boy changed into a black-and-silver suited ghost with snow white hair and glowing green eyes.**

"Whether we ghosts like it or not," Ember uttered her observation, "Danny Phantom makes us look cool in the eyes of humans."

There were many mutterings of agreement among the crowd. Poindexter gave a rare beaming grin at her.

"Trust me, people of the ghost world," stated Amorpho in his breathy voice, sounding like he had a perpetual flu. "You will not enjoy the kind of fame Danny Phantom has. I have tried it firsthand."

Ember rolled her eyes. "That's just you, face-morph. I, on the other hand, will certainly thrive when the Ember McClain wave has taken over the world!"

"Why are all pretty girls crazy?" lamented Johnny to himself. He got a death glare from Kitty as a result.

**Phantom shot up in the air to catch the gorilla. Sampson started to back away. He eventually were caught by his arms as the Ghost Boy lifted him up and phased him through the wall. They flew in the night air.**

" **Alright," muttered Phantom. "I don't know how you got out, but you're going back!" They went inside the cage, where Sampson was dropped off gently. Phantom promptly pressed the "close" button on the control panel. He landed on the ground.**

**Sam and Tucker came over.**

" **Danny," began Sam. "I meant to tell you, there was a gho—"**

" **I wonder who let the gorilla go..." He glared sideways at Sam. "….Sam?"**

" **Yeah, wait 'till we tell everybody at school _you_ let out a four-hundred-pound gorilla," added in Tucker.**

"The damned creature is four-hundred-pound! Ha!" Skulker exclaimed, as if the fact justified his rather cowardly escape from the gorilla.

"Hello," scowled Ember. "Have you ever noticed the weight of your metal suit when being _under it_ — not inside, mind you — and having no specialized power to bear the weight?"

"Hotness, you did say you don't mind." Skulker gave her his comical suit-enforced puppy-dog eyes.

The diva let out a sound of frustration. "I still want you to sleep on the couch—you call that 'I don't mind'!? Jerk, have you _ever_ taken off that suit!?

Skulker crossed his metallic arms, refusing to look at her.

"We hear too much!" Johnny quipped, snickering. His shadow actually doubled over, showing everyone he was openly laughing.

**Sam gave the boy an unimpressed look, wordlessly taking out the Polaroid of their sleep-cuddle.**

"… **.or we just keep it our little secret," backtracked Phantom, smiling.**

" **Yeah," Tucker chuckled in nervousness. "We really have no proof she did it, you know."**

**Sam smirked.**

Kitty watched, enraptured. Sam's characteristic …assertiveness… fascinated her.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 19.27 p.m.**

Tucker smirked. "And now there is proof Sam Manson really did let out a gorilla."

"Meh, it doesn't really matter anyway," said Sam, waving her hands dismissively.

When the channel was playing their _adventure_ at the zoo, Lancer had exclaimed at one point. "How is it that a simple gorilla observation for you three ended up in—in this craziness!? The teacher had thrown his hands up like a hilarious overweight cartoon character.

The students burst out laughing.

Tucker and Sam glanced at each other.

"Don't blame us—"

"—yeah, 'cause we really truly tried to—"

"—do a good job in observing Sam–I mean _Delilah_ , really—"

"—like she _deserved_ to be admired and adored. She is one majestic and wondrous creature," finished Sam firmly, her eyes daring anyone to object.

They pointed to poor Danny who was asleep and unaware, and said in sync, "Blame him!"

There was a silence, before the audience started to snort and laugh, entertained. As a matter of fact, it was still a novelty for everyone to witness the open interaction between the trio who used to be so secretive. Sam and Tucker high-fived each other. The sound of laughing woke the boy up from his short slumber. He yawned and looked around.

"Uh…did I miss something?" That caused many people to chuckle.

.

.

Principal Ishiyama had excused herself to take an important call during the gorilla-debacle, going to the outer hall. Once she finished her call, she was startled by a loud clank coming from the direction of the school parking lot. She paused, hesitating.

"Hello…?" She crept around the entrance hall, but she saw no one. "That's creepy." Shaking her head, she muttered under her breath, "Must've been my imagination."

Another loud clank was heard and this time something was being thrown at her. The woman screamed in fright, jumped backward, and fell to the ground. Her hands were raised up to protect her head.

.

But there was no one attacking her.

Confused, the Principal slowly and cautiously lowered her hands, looking around. She got up and positioned herself in a fighting stance.

"L-look!" she shouted to the darkness. "You're messing with the wrong person, creep!

There was no response. After standing tensely for a minute, Ishiyama allowed herself to relax. She was just going back inside when she looked down and spotted the item that had been thrown at her. It was a metal cylindrical container with a piece of paper inside. With trembling hands, she picked up the object, and pulled out the paper from inside it. She rolled it out and read the writing inside.

Her face paled.

.

"Mr. Fenton!" Principal Ishiyama yelled, running frantically toward the astonished boy rather clumsily, due to her wearing a pair of formal heels.

Everyone ceased their conversation to see what was going on. It was not very often anyone could see the usually composed principal in obvious panic — and it was the first time anyone saw someone panicking who ran to Danny Fenton out of all people. Just because they knew did not mean they had gotten used to the reality down to their subconscious.

Kwan noticed Dash jumped on his seat, eyes locking on the unusually frightened teacher and observing her progression with a scared look on his face. Dash had also been pulling at the edges of his jacket since he showed up from the bathroom earlier, a tic Kwan was familiar with for it showed the quarterback's hidden nervousness every time a match was about to begin. But since there was no football match in the near future, he was acting really weird.

"What's the matter?" asked a worried Lancer who was already moving to intercept her way. Ishiyama just shook her head, continuing her course toward the freaked out half-ghost — they were about half the basketball field away from each other — before exclaiming, "It's about Miss Sanchez!"

Everyone gasped. The room was suddenly filled with quiet whisperings, for everyone was still straining their ears to hear what happened. Hearing the word "Sanchez", Dash's head snapped up. Without any preamble, Dash shot out of his seat, and then started a full-blown sprint to Fenton. Kwan's questioning voice echoed behind him.

Principal Ishiyama managed to outrun the quarterback, reaching Danny Fenton before she put her hands on her knees, panting heavily. Baffled, Danny could only stare at the unusual phenomenon — it involved him _again_ unfortunately — while being at loss on what to say to the esteemed Principal.

"…..Something…." she said between gasps, "…happened….to….Miss Sanchez!"

"What happened to Paulina?" asked Danny, coming forward. His mind gave off warning bells.

The Principal seemed to struggle to find the words. She shook her head again and adopted an extremely panicked expression.

"Fenton!" Dash had arrived, barely out-of-breath. "I—I need to tell you something!" Dash's eyes were wide in fear, giving him a rather comical look.

Danny stared alternately between two of them, feeling rather bizarre. "Okay okay, what's going on? You're starting to freak—" He was cut off because Ishiyama pushed a piece of paper right into his hands. Danny couldn't help letting out a horrified gasp once he read the content.

It was a ransom note.

.

_Dear fools posing as esteemed faculty and students of Casper High…_

_We have Phantom's love interest with us, the lovely Miss Paulina Sanchez. Read carefully if you don't want her body to be the only thing found near the docks. Have Phantom himself come to the docks by tomorrow evening, 6 p.m. sharp. Ghost freak also has to bring 100 grand in cash._

_If you involve the police, then all bets are off. Why, ye' of little faith! Don't you want to trust your "hero" to save the girl?_

.

The hero took a deep breath, before opening his eyes and stared steadily to everybody who was watching worriedly. "Paulina has been kidnapped," he announced.

Gasps and exclamations of distress echoed around the room.

Dash was looking down. "Earlier, I—I saw Paulina being escorted to a….a black van I never knew her family owns."

"Mr. Baxter! Why haven't you spoke up?" exclaimed Tetslaff, distressed. "I didn't think it was a big deal when I couldn't find the girl in the bathrooms!"

Dash was silent.

"Mr. Baxter?" urged Ishiyama, narrowing her eyes. However, Dash's attention was focused on the person he saw as his hero, despite being his former bullying victim — in fact, the revelation made Dash see Danny even more as his hero.

"I—I thought I could…just tell Fenton myself when this screening is over, and everyone has—has left...Then—and then we…we could go save her together as partners, 'cause y–you know, I can be a good f–friend to you… I'm really sorry…."

However, Danny was silent as he stared at Dash, emotionless.

"You've withheld such important information from us just for your personal benefit? Am I hearing this right, Mr. Baxter?" asked Mr. Lancer angrily.

Dash paled and stammered even more. "I—I just thought…I'm really so–sorry…I just d–don't think it would—"

"How many are her kidnappers? What do they look like? Can you tell me what Paulina was doing before she was taken?" Danny interrupted suddenly, speaking fast with a stern voice. He gazed at his former bully coldly.

Dash was only too eager to provide information to help his hero. "I only saw two, Fenton. They were wearing standard ski masks so I couldn't see their faces. Paulina…," Dash mused as he recalled the memory, "She left the hall after the last segment's over. The weird thing is…I dunno if I saw her doing any struggle. She was only escorted to the vehicle."

.

There was a silence as everyone processed the information.

"What are we going to do?" mumbled Lancer out loud. Everyone, consciously or unconsciously, looked at Danny for direction, even the teachers who most likely belonged to the latter's category.

.

"Obviously," Danny dryly said. "We act."

.

.

**To be continued in "Skulker, the Toast Hunter II".**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If you probably haven't guessed, the title refers to Skulker's predicament...which will be continued in the next chapter.  
> To be honest, I'm still experimenting with how to format the story. Is it better to be 50/50 plot/episode, or the 60/40 combination (and the vice versa) for either one? The result for this chapter is an excess of word counts, so that I have to divide "One of a Kind" into 2 episodes, again. I'd be glad to know your view and suggestion about this.  
> I also hope I didn't write Valerie too OOC. I tried to put myself in her shoes, and looked at the problems and pressures she had. It ended up like that. The GZ was also an interesting perspective to explore. For those who haven't seen their preferred ghost(s) yet, it's because just like the humans, they don't gather to watch in only one location..  
> I am very thankful for everyone who has read and given your feedback, support, suggestions and constructive criticisms! You guys are very dear to my heart! Every time I feel too fatigued to write, you're always in my mind to give me that crucial boost of motivation. :D


	8. Skulker, the Toast Hunter II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own the script and plot of the episodes. Anything recognizable in this fan work is not mine.  
> The plot is a bit slow-going for the moment, but once this arc is finished, I sure hope it will pick up the pace.  
> **A mistake is spotted! I realized belatedly I've been spelling Mikey's name wrong in the previous episodes. I'll try to edit the mistakes as soon as I'm able.**

**Chapter 8: Skulker, the Toast Hunter II**

**.**

**.**

**Previously…**

"… _I only saw two, Fenton. They were wearing standard ski masks so I couldn't see their faces. Paulina…," Dash mused as he recalled the memory, "She left the hall after the last segment's over. The weird thing is…I dunno if I saw her struggle. She was only escorted to the vehicle."_

_There was a silence as everyone processed the information._

" _What are we going to do?" mumbled Lancer out loud. Everyone, consciously or unconsciously, looked at Danny for direction, even the teachers who most likely belonged to the latter's category._

" _Obviously," Danny dryly said. "We act."_

_._

Danny continued, "I can start by flying over the city to track Paulina and her kidnappers. Tuck can do his tech-tracking by retracing Paulina's call, if she's somehow been able to make a call in the last two hours or so. Sam, you need to call Jazz and my parents to act as back-ups if something happens…bring some weapons just in case. Like the note says, we don't need to call the authority—"

"—Mr. Fenton!" Ishiyama interrupted, scandalized. "You can't be thinking that you want to handle it yourself, can you? This is serious matter!"

"Indeed, Daniel. The police needs to be notified. _Just in case_ ," emphasized Lancer. "I thought you, Miss Manson and Mister Foley have had this discussion of these...'solo acts'?

Danny looked at them wryly. "I've never said it's gonna be a solo act, have I? I have Sam, Tucker and even Jazz and my parents to help me." He also looked at the Red Huntress. "…and also the Red Huntress if she wants to help."

The Huntress, who was standing a little bit behind the crowd, quickly nodded.

Ishiyama's expression turned exasperated. "I fear that you might have misunderstood me, Mr. Fenton. This is a life and death situation. One of my students could be dead by now in an unknown location. I'm not about to let another three follow." She glared at Danny, Sam and Tucker.

The three members of the self-dubbed Team Phantom exchanged glances. Danny nodded softly to Sam. She was the best out of three whenever there was a verbal argument. Danny was more the punch-first-pun-second kind of guy while Tucker was the guy who sorted out the technical details needed for Sam and Danny's usually broad rhetoric.

"Principal Ishiyama," Sam began, "Danny, Tucker, and I are kinda used to this kind of things, you know? Not unlike what you've already seen! Stopping a bipolar grandma from turning us all into carnivores, fighting fire-breathing dragons during school dance, and rescuing a gentle gorilla from a metallic predator! We'll be fine."

Danny winced. Tucker eyed Sam's heavy combat boots, debating whether it was worth it to make a snarky comment.

"Right, it's sorta routine for us."

"Daniel," Lancer said as he examined the note. "These individuals seem to want you specifically. For all we know, Miss Sanchez is an obvious bait."

"I know, Mr. Lancer, and I have to get Paulina out before anything happens to her."

" _Lord of the Flies_ , Daniel! I worry about your personal safety!"

"—but I catch ghosts all the time—"

"What if it isn't ghost this time?" Lancer asked sharply. "Has _Phantom_ ever faced a human enemy before?"

Danny opened his mouth to retort back, but then he remembered that yes, all of his enemies to whom he _truly_ fought back were ghosts, including the Freakshow debacle — a secret he hoped fervently wouldn't be revealed to the world through the videos. When Freakshow had personally attacked Danny and his friends with the Reality Gauntlet, he'd eventually been turned into a ghost by his own doing. Danny sucked him into his thermos and put him in the Ghost Zone.

Everybody was looking at Danny, remembering in their minds that while Phantom was considered some kind of superhero to the town — he did heroic acts with super powers after all — the hero was not known to attend to the crimes in the city, not that there were many due to the presence of ghosts after all.

"I _have_ to get Paulina out, Mr. Lancer. There's no other choice. You read the threat—if they somehow hear us calling the police, who knows what would happen to Paulina…"

"There's always a choice, Daniel," said Lancer, looking at his student with both sadness and pride.

"Mr. Lancer is right, Danny." Danny's head whipped around to Sam in astonishment. "It's just…," Sam hesitated, "It's Paulina. I smell a bait, a bad kind of bait. Danny, something's not—"

"Sam, just because it's Paulina, doesn't mean that she's not worth helping. Gee, you need to let go—"

"This is not me being jealous, Danny!"

"I don't know. It certainly sounds so."

"Ugh! I'm trying to make sense with you! Even Dash said something's not right with that girl!"

Among the crowd, Dash muttered, "Whoa whoa, I don't wanna be involved." Nobody really paid attention to him since they watched the scene unfolding.

"You always think there's something wrong with Paulina, Sam!"

"LOVEBIRDS!" Tucker yelled. He effectively cut off the lover's spat. "You guys have a crowd! Geez, I can't believe I'm the mature one here." He gave a warning glare at his two shamefaced best friends.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a while as Danny and Sam refused to look at each other. Danny once again looked at the piece of paper in Mr. Lancer's hands. His expression became determined.

"We cannot waste any more time. Tuck, see whether her phone can be traced or not. If it's possible," Danny nodded to the note, "find out any info you can gather from the note."

"On it, boss," grinned Tucker. He pulled out his PDA.

"I'll…probably be back in half an hour." He gazed at everyone, including the disapproving Principal Ishiyama and Mr. Lancer who gave him a small smile. Danny looked around, trying to find a place to "go ghost", but since the crowd was on every side, it was inconvenient to charge through them in human form.

"I guess this is it then." Danny smiled self-consciously, before murmuring, "I'm goin' ghost."

.

It was spoken like a warning to everyone, before a flash of light seemed to illuminate the area. Mr. Lancer watched as his student transformed into the town's hero— _now he's also the world's, isn't he_? It was still unbelievable and dramatic to the teacher's eyes, more so than a play of _Macbeth_. It was when reality was stranger than fiction.

Phantom — _He's Daniel! My student!_ He had to correct himself — hovered in the air looking at Miss Manson with indiscernible expression. "Sam—"

"I'm coming with you!"

"No, Sam. It'd be faster if I go alone. You have to contact Jazz. I'll be quick, 'kay?" With that, Danny took off, going to the ceiling and phased through it. He left behind a whoosh of air due to the speed of the take-off. The gust of wind tickled the teacher's prized goatee.

"That's so cool!" A wild-haired nerd gasped — _Mr. Lester! Nathan Lester! Heart of Darkness, I must've been influenced by Mr. Baxter and his friends —_ among other murmurings in the room. Sam Manson was muttering to herself, but everyone in the near vicinity could hear several curse words as well as "stupid hero-complex" being uttered repeatedly. A part of Lancer who treasured his calling as a teacher urged him to reprimand the girl, but Lancer was somehow tongue-tied. The Red Huntress seemed to be staring at the scowling girl.

"I'll go after him," she offered. Without waiting for an answer, the Huntress went through the crowd. Her reputation was quite fearsome for some of the students so she made her way relatively smoothly. From the corner of his eye, Lancer saw Mr. Foley staring worriedly after her. _Huh?_

"I don't think I can recognize these students anymore, Will…" He heard the Principal said that quietly with a small voice, very uncharacteristic of her. "...especially young Mr. Fenton."

He had to agree with her.

.

In the meantime, Sam pulled out a sleek black phone, fully intending to help her boyfriend in spite of her current annoyance. She had silenced the phone at the beginning of the second segment when it rang too many times. Turning it on, she saw the notification.

**_23 missed calls_ **

_Perfect_ , she thought, smirking.

.

**_Approximately one and a half hour before…_ **

**Vanity Fare Rotisserie, 83 East Street, Central Amity Park, 18.17 p.m**

As the night approached, the busiest restaurant in the area started to attract its usual high-end crowd — almost all of whom were wearing formal suits and dresses, while they were forced to wait at the reception hall. _Vanity Fare_ was a social hub usually frequented by the crème de la crème of the city's night patrons. It was famed for its roast chicken which was freshly-served and flavored with distinctive spices. In some of its busiest days, it would be impossible to book an arrangement without prior reservation.

A sharply dressed young man about twenty years of age walked briskly through the ornately-decorated sliding doors, only pausing to confirm his reservation to the woman behind the reception desk.

"I have a reservation under Bastien and Manson."

The receptionist quickly typed some words into a computer while using an intercom to call upon a colleague. Not a moment too soon, a waiter arrived and escorted the young man to the dining hall.

.

Leonard Bastien sat gingerly at one of the couple booths before looking around, taking in the atmosphere. The space was softly lit by glittering candlelight from the multiple candle décor fixed against the wall. A quiet jazz music filled the air. There was an absence of the usual low chatters from other occupants, because the place was unusually vacant.

Leonard shrugged, thanking his good fortune that he'd be enjoying a nearly-private setting with the girl he was waiting for. He was intentionally early anyway. They were supposed to meet at six thirty. Nevertheless, Leonard believed being ahead of schedule was a good gentlemanly manner.

He needed to make a good impression to the heiress of the Manson dynasty. It was important, both to the plan he had tonight, and to the reputation of his own family's relation with the Mansons.

Sitting alone awkwardly, the blond-haired gentleman checked his watch impatiently. It was still 18.28. Leonard breathed a heavy sigh before waving his hand to signal a waiter.

"Yes, sir?" the waiter came and inquired.

"I'd like a glass of whiskey please," Leonard decided. "Also, tell the front desk to send someone when a woman named Samantha Manson arrives."

"Anything else, sir?"

The young man looked around curiously. "Has my father purposely emptied out this place for tonight? It seems to lack the presence of your usual patrons."

The nervous waiter cleared his throat. "I'm afraid not, Sir Bastien. We've been having this…unusual phenomenon since yesterday. I personally think it's because of the new TV program everyone's really attracted to." The man chuckled. "My nieces and nephews have been badgering me to stop being such a workaholic and take a time to check out what it is. Although, as always, sir," he nodded his head respectfully, "I'm dedicated to my job in maintaining the standard of excellence this restaurant upholds."

"Ah, I see. I expect nothing less from my family's favored eatery in Amity Park."

The waiter grinned. "Certainly, sir. Now I will have your order delivered right quick."

Then he was left alone to ponder his thoughts. Samantha Manson, the name seemed familiar somehow, but Leonard couldn't place where he'd heard of her. What he'd gathered from the limited time researching her, she was practically living in the shadow of her parents — never was noticed, and never tried to be noticed either. He hadn't decided what to think of that, but if Pamela Manson was any indication of what her only daughter would appear to be, he supposed Samantha would be his ideal girl.

It was as if killing two birds with one stone, he reflected. On one hand, he would prove to his father that he was a responsible young man, unlike what the Bastien patriarch had so far thought of him. Never again would he be humiliated by Martin Bastien's refusal to make him heir. He would be capable enough to secure a sweet deal with the Mansons by approaching their only daughter. On the other hand, he was also quite curious whether this Samantha would prove susceptible to his charms. Triple score if she was as hot as her mother.

So he waited. The whisky was delivered just as he was impatiently checking his wrist watch again. It was already forty minute past six. He took a gulp of his glass.

.

It took him another four glasses of the alcoholic beverage to realize he'd been stood up.

.

It was the first time Leonard Edward Bastien had been stood up by a _girl_ in his precocious life.

.

He pulled out his phone and started calling the number Mrs. Manson has given him. It was a rather bad etiquette in his opinion to call a girl before meeting her face to face, but he couldn't care less anymore. After a long period of rings, he closed it in frustration.

Maybe he should have spent the night watching the TV about that Phantom hero that his international friends had asked him about (due to Phantom and him being of the same nationality, they said). He'd apparently missed yesterday's train hype due to being half-way across the world in a plane. It would be a pity if some of his acquaintances opened up small talks with the topic in mind while he, an American, had no knowledge of it. That would be disastrous diplomacy. He could even picture Martin Bastien's furious face in his mind.

.

 _But now_ , Leonard thought as he stalked furiously toward Vanity Fare's exterior, _I have a report to make to father._

_._

**_Fast forward one and a half hour again…_ **

**Foley's Residence, 19.32 p.m.**

Needless to say, the Fentons and the Foleys had been slack-jawed watching the three teens' "biology project" mishap. A gorilla running rampant in the zoo was beyond their wildest imagination, and certainly was not what either Danny or Tucker had told them about that night. Secrets truly bred secrets. The longer they watched, the longer the parents realized there was a completely different facade behind their respective sons — one that they had to understand from the very beginning again.

"This is ridiculous," Maddie exclaimed. "How could there be no news of gorilla escaping from its cage? Better yet, what kind of security system that was when anybody could just press 'open' to release the animal?"

"Mads, I'm more concerned about that hunter ghost who wanted to hunt Danny. Isn't he still around?" Jack frowned as he searched his memory. "Wait a second! He's the one with Danny-boy at the North Pole! That means he's…good…or bad?" Jack was stuck.

"Of course he _is_ bad, honey," growled the mother. "Danny's the only good ghost."

Jazz winced. "Don't be too sure of that, Mom."

Maddie was still mumbling about "zoo management who wanted to save face" and "her poor baby being hunted". On the other hand, the Foleys just shrugged — they were used to the Fentons' quirks — and continued to watch.

**The "Fenton" neon sign and the rooftop Emergency Ops Center were proudly displayed on the building the Fentons called their home. Three members of the family — sans the youngest — were currently having an interview in-session, inside their own living room.**

" **A few more questions, Maddie," a Genius Magazine journalist asked as she held up a voice recorder, "Can you tell our readers what you're working on now?"**

**Before Maddie could answer, her husband interrupted, pulling out the Ghost Gabber. "Well it's called the Ghost Gabber and—"**

" **Dad! Put that thing away! She's…actually working on a new form of self-generating energy," smiled Jazz, twitching. "She's an amazing, intelligent woman who's about to change the world."**

Jack's expression was gentle when he smiled at his daughter. "Jazzy-princess, while it's true that ghost research might be our obsession, ectoplasm _is_ a substance of untold potentials. One of those include"—he made a quote-unquote gesture with his hands—"'a new form of self-generating energy'! Your mother is already a genius in her field!"

Maddie, hearing her husband's compliment, smiled and forgot about her earlier grumblings. "Ah, Jack…I'm only a genius when I'm with you. Like I said before, beside a genius woman—"

"—there's a genius man!" finished Jack. They beamed at each other and kissed.

Jazz only shook her head and made a half-hearted grossed out expression, while the Foleys were smiling as they averted their eyes.

When they were finished, Maurice couldn't hold back his curiosity after hearing Jack's previous statement. "Jack, I'm actually wondering what these untold potentials are."

"That remains to be discovered! But that's the beauty of science, my friend!" Jack leaned in, eyes bright. "Danny opened my eyes to a new world of ecto-science!"

"He did?" Jazz interjected warily.

"He did! Just him being a _half-ghost_ is a massive jump in paraphysiology. Imagine the possibilities—"

"I don't think Danny would appreciate that, Dad."

"—not to mention we finally get our hands on the Ghost Zone resources. It's basically an inter-dimensional plane that would make physicists all over the world green with envy!"

"Oh…" Maurice said, a bit lost. "That's great…"

Jazz harrumphed before she caught her mother's worried glance.

**Maddie answered the reporter. "Connie, my primary focus these days is ghost-hunting."**

" **Um…forgive me. Did you say ghost-hunting?"**

**Jazz sighed. It was at this time Danny, Sam and Tucker walked through the front door. Their faces, especially Danny's, reflected their exhaustion.**

Maddie muttered "gorilla" and "stupid metal ghost" under her breath.

" **Danny, look at you!" the on-screen Maddie reprimanded. "I'm not sure I like this overnight zoo research."**

"Now I'm sure I don't like it at all," muttered Maddie. "Research…what research?"

Angela put a hand on the other woman's arm to calm her down.

" **Mom, come on! We're just a bunch of kids…in the zoo…at night…alone." Everyone in the living room stared at Danny.**

Everyone in the _Foley's_ living room couldn't hold their fits of laughter. Maddie's mouth quirked into a smile involuntarily.

" **We'll be in my room," Danny said after a silence. The three friends went up the stairs.**

" ** _We'll be in my room. Fear me."_**

" **Give me that!" Jazz angrily snatched the Gabber from her father, and hid it under a pillow. She forced a smile. "Now where were we?"**

"Oh Jazz," Maddie smiled.

"But the Ghost Gabber works," Jack was pouting, "not that I could possibly know it at the time, but it works!"

"Yeah yeah, Dad," she chuckled.

**Danny and his friends walked to a room that had the bold sticker "Danny's Bedroom" on its door.**

" **Here we go, Danny," said Tucker, smiling. "Home in time for some well-deserved rest." His PDA beeped with notification. "But, keep it quick! Because you've got thirteen minutes."**

"He's such a darling." Angela chuckled. "Who in the world rests for thirteen minutes?"

**Danny did not look excited at the prospect. However, soon afterward his ghost sense went off. Cautiously, the trio peeked into the room.**

Maurice grinned and did a mock stage-whisper. "I feel like I'm watching a horror movie."

"Ssssh, this is the ultimate _ghost_ movie," Jack responded in like, attempting to make a pun — a very bad pun — out of it. The two men looked satisfied, while the women glanced at each other in exasperation.

**Skulker appeared, grinning menacingly among the shadows of the room. "Hello. Ghost child." From his wrist, Skulker shot a net that trapped Danny, and dragged the boy forcefully into his room. The door was slammed shut.**

" **Danny!" Tucker and Sam exclaimed.**

There was a sound like a glass breaking. Everyone stared as Maddie as she herself blinked in surprise, a broken coffee cup was in her grasp.

"Maddie!" Jack cried out.

"Ah! Whoops!" She looked at the glass pieces in dismay. "I—I'm terribly sorry, Ang. I'm… definitely buying you a new one! I am so sorry…"

Angela shrugged it off. "No worries, dear. I have half a mind to go after that ghost myself…and break an arm or two!"

Maddie grinned, feeling glad.

The husbands quietly made a note to never piss off the wives to the extent that Skulker did. They also felt bad for the ghost's impending doom.

**.**

**Guys-in-White Outpost, Exact Location Unspecified, 19.40 p.m. (UTC-6h)**

"Operative K, do you copy?"

…

"Where do you think we're able to find such kind of anti-ghost webs?"

…

"Operative K?"

K turned slowly and exasperatedly toward his fellow agent, whose workstation was right next to him. "There's no need for that radio, idiot! Are you dumb or what? This kind of stupidity is what made M lose his job!

Lowering his headphone, O shrugged. "So, this hunter ghost seems to know a lot about capturing Phantom. Think we should contact him?"

"It's an _it_ , agent, not _him_ ," K growled. "Don't fraternize with the enemies." O seemed to be heavily affronted hearing that accusation.

"Starting one of those fights again, hmm…agents?" Operative L — yet he insisted to be called as "Jim" nowadays — bounced in, three mugs of ale balanced precariously in one embrace. "Still think you should at least say hi to the ghost kid, instead of….ya' know, stalking him like a couple of creepy fan girls."

"I surely hope you didn't mean what you just said, L—"

"It's Jim—"

"—and you'd better remember the oath you took as a Guy-in-White, or else, _Jim_ 's gonna be synonymous with traitor. You understand the consequences of subversion, Operative L?"

"The Guys-in-White is dead!" Jim laughed widely. "What!? You keep livin' in your delusions! Where have they led us? Here! In the middle of nowhere! No way to go home, no government support…face it, Rick, we've been screwed over."

K growled. "That's Operative K to you, L. Due to current circumstances, I will let your heinous comments go. This is your last warning."

K and L suddenly became aware of the continuous sound of munching in the background. They stared at O, who stared back at them raising his dark eyebrows.

"What?" he told them with a mouth full of cheerios, gesturing with his head at a screen, showing — what else — the exposé. "I've been assigned to watch, so I watch, instead of idiotically squabbling." His mouth curled into a mocking smile, aimed at Operative K.

**From inside the net, Danny stared wide-eyed as the shadow of the hunter ghost loomed over him.**

" **The human ghost-child in its natural habitat," the ghost's echo-y voice said.**

" **Who are you?"**

" **I am Skulker, a collector of things rare and unique," his wrist-projector showed an image of his 'collections', "And you, ghost child, are that and more!" Skulker let out an evil laugh.**

"Should take note of that projector," muttered O. "And the name of the ghost. Skulker." The man seemed to taste the weird name in his tongue.

K crossed his arms. "It's Ghost #201511920 for us."

"That's a mouthful," L frowned. "Not to mention impractical."

**Skulker stomped his boot on one of Danny's model rocket. It promptly got destroyed.**

" **Hey, my rocket! I built that!"**

" **Pity though, I'd hoped you'd put up more of a fight."**

" **Oh don't worry." Danny narrowed his eyes. He transformed into Phantom and floated out of the net. "I will!"**

"Scratch that anti-ghost web." O looked very disappointed.

K smirked, while L rolled his eyes.

**Phantom flew up and delivered a hard punch, slamming Skulker to the wall. Cracks appeared due to the force of the slam, but Skulker seemed mostly unaffected.**

**Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker tried to open the door.**

" **That's the ghost from the zoo," Sam told Tucker.**

" **Danny?"**

" **No, the other guy!" She squeezed her eyes shut as she redoubled her effort, hearing sounds of banging and slamming from inside.**

"How's your work on their individual profiling?" K asked casually.

"Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley, both are almost done," O smiled. "Teenagers post a lot of info online after all."

" **Hello," a voice called out from downstairs. "What's going on up there?"**

**Sam and Tucker exchanged glances, before they immediately ran to the stairs.**

**.**

**Foley's Residence, 19.42 p.m.**

"It would've been real funny if Danny answered, 'I'm wrestling with Ghost-X! Don't mind me!'" Jazz jested.

She proved true the saying that you either had a funny bone or you did not.

**In the Fenton's living room, the interview was still going on.**

" **You know, ghost hunting isn't the only thing my parents do, Connie. It's really a side interest. What they really do is—" There was a loud crash from upstairs that shook the whole house.**

**Jack stood up, exclaiming, "Ghost! Ghost! GHOST!"**

**Maddie saw Sam and Tucker coming down. "Kids, get down! There's a ghost in the house!"**

"That's actually a bit of an overreaction," teased Angela gently.

Jack chuckled. "It was true though."

"How ironic," Jazz said as she rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

" **Actually there's two"— Sam elbowed Tucker harshly—"much homework to be done for there to be a ghost here." He grinned awkwardly, before walking to the kitchen. "I'll get some snacks."**

" **Y–yeah, Danny's upstairs"—Sam was interrupted by another loud crash—"Uh…lifting weights?"**

Maurice laughed out loud. "These kids are hilarious." Jack, Maddie and Angela also laughed.

"Uh, they're quite hilarious that you guys still bought their explanations."

"Oh cheer up, Jazz. You were also in the room with us," said Maddie.

**Maddie stared dubiously. "He doesn't have exercise equipment up there." There was another loud crash. Danny's voice could be heard shouting, "My computer! Oh, that's Jazz's."**

"Danny still owes me for that," Jazz chuckled.

Everyone raised their eyebrows and looked at her.

"What's the matter? I can't be mad when the reason was because he was trying to stop a ghost attack."

**Sam added, "That's why he's using his computer."**

Everyone let out some small snickers.

**Tucker who had arrived at the kitchen looked up just in time to see Phantom being thrown down through the ceiling. He landed on the table as it broke upon impact. Skulker followed not long after.**

" **Come, ghost boy. Time to see your new home." And Skulker grabbed him by the neck, turning intangible, before they dove into the basement downstairs, where the portal to the Ghost Zone was located.**

**Sam, Jack, Maddie, Jazz and Connie came over running only to see Tucker, the damaged ceiling, and the broken table.**

" **Uh, hi-yaa!" exclaimed Tucker as he struck a karate pose.**

" **What's going on?" Connie asked, thoroughly baffled.**

"Look at that!" exclaimed Jack. "All the things we missed!"

Maurice and Angela were chuckling resignedly. Until about two weeks ago, they had also been living in blissful ignorance.

Maddie's mouth was also open in an "O" shape, before she then asked worriedly, "What's going to happen to my boy?"

Jazz shrugged and smiled wide. "That's exactly how I felt the first couple of days after I knew Danny's secret."

"That reminds me…I've never asked but when did you first know, Jazz?"

"Earlier than Danny was aware that I know, Mom. It's bound to happen soon enough if my estimate is not wrong. So I'm not going to spoil you yet."

"Aw, princess. That's not fun," said Jack.

Jazz threw a grin at her father.

**The house shook again. "Sounds like rats in the lab," exclaimed Tucker.**

" **Ghost rats. I knew it!" Jack said as he narrowed his eyes.**

**Tucker and Sam quickly ran ahead to the lab. "Don't worry! We'll get rid of them!" Connie stared after them.**

" **I'd like to learn a little more about this Danny."**

"Don't we all?" commented Maurice, grinning.

Maddie turned to Jack. "We probably have to contact her sometimes soon, Jack. Connie's one of the reporters I trust, and heaven knows Danny needs to talk to the public."

Jack nodded, considering. "Actually, Mads, I'm also thinking of Harry! Remember her? Old classmate, a bit boring, but she's alright. I wonder how she's doing after…you know…" Jack trailed off.

Maddie did not respond because she was also trying hard to get another college mate out of her head.

" **That's probably not such a great idea." Jazz called out after the reporter, mortified.**

" **I'd like to see what he's doing up there anyway," Maddie muttered before she also went to the stairs.**

" **Wait!" exclaimed Jazz.**

"Poor Jasmine," Angela said while everyone was a bit amused seeing Jazz's plight.

"If I could meet my younger self, I'd like to tell her that trying to make my family see sense is a futile effort." Jazz chuckled. "And also slap some sense to Danny for wrestling with a ghost _when_ a reporter was in the house. Secret identity my ass."

"Ah, Jazz, language!" berated Maddie half-heartedly. Everyone else only laughed.

**At the Fentons' basement lab, Phantom was once again held up by Skulker.**

" **What are you doing?" he gasped.**

" **Bringing you back to my world, where I can put you on display." Skulker showed him the cage projector again.**

" **What!?"**

**Pushing a button on his wrist gadget, Skulker opened the portal to the Ghost World. "Ha! At last. Time to put you in your cage." He started walking.**

"Nobody puts my baby in a cage!"

"Mom, calm down…"

" **Nooooo!" yelled the boy desperately. Suddenly, Sam Manson stood in front of the portal entrance, arms outstretched.**

" **No is right, Danny! Cages are wrong! How do you think Samson feels being in a cage?"**

" **But—" Skulker was unable to finish his sentence.**

" **He's a beautiful animal and deserves to roam free!"**

" **I—"**

"— **should be ashamed!"**

There was a silence before everyone in the room burst out laughing.

"Oh gosh!" Jazz gasped between laughter. "Sam, the ultimate social justice warrior!"

"The ghost looked absolutely confused!" Maurice chuckled.

Angela was giggling all the way. "One good thing this show has brought us is these gold moments between those three."

**Phantom utilized the moment of distraction to kick Skulker across the room. The metal ghost landed on the ground near Tucker, who quickly moved out of the way. However, Tucker still fell flat on his face, glasses and PDA being dropped out of his hands. Tucker started to get up, dazed.**

The Foleys gasped, and started to growl at the image of Skulker on the screen as well, while the Fentons narrowed their eyes.

**Skulker noticed the PDA. He grabbed it. "The technology–so sleek, so…advanced." The ghost looked in dismay at his obsolete control device on his wrist. "Hmm, I wonder…"**

**.**

**Guys-in-White Outpost, Exact Location Unspecified, 19.45 p.m. (UTC -6h)**

**Skulker tore out the cracked device and casually threw it down on the floor, next to Tucker. There was a slight discharge of electricity before Skulker snapped Tucker's PDA into place. The gauntlet hummed as it adjusted to the new setting.**

" **Hey!" Tucker yelled in anger. "I got three more payments on that!" He was rewarded with a smack from the metal ghost's hand.**

" **Marvelous." Cables started to connect themselves to the device, activating it.**

O paused. "That worked?" He turned to K in confusion. "Laws of technical engineering dictate it shouldn't have worked."

K, however, was in the middle of scrutinizing the screen. "Interesting… Operative L, make yourself useful and find out what series that personal digital assistant belongs to. It must've been one of the old ones."

L raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? I know that face. You ain't planning something, eh, bud?"

"This is my most _marvelous_ plan to date." K paused, frowning. "I hate to use the same word like one of those despicable beings."

"You said something similar before we went after that white-haired, not-Phantom kid," said L dubiously.

"Is this plan already checked in with Head?" added in O.

"I've been in contact with HQ," stated K jauntily, enjoying the looks of surprise from the other two operatives. "We're gonna impress 'em so hard this time. I swear with my life."

**.**

**Foley's Residence, 19.45 p.m.**

Everyone was staring at the screen attentively, watching the fight. Angela had joined Maddie in the newly-made league of Skulker-haters.

**Danny Phantom flew toward Skulker, fist extended to attack, but Skulker had gotten the hang of the PDA, so that a sleek ecto-gun was formed out of his gauntlet, shooting Phantom mid-air, and slamming him into a wall, hands and feet bound.**

" **Way to go, Tucker," commented Sam. "You just made the bad guy _more_ bad!"**

" **How was I supposed to know my PDA was ghost-compatible?"**

"Sam was a bit too hard on poor Tucker," said Maddie to Angela sympathetically.

"Well, at least now I know why he keeps using his allowance to buy new PDAs."

**Skulker smirked victoriously at the bound ghost boy. "Say goodbye to this world, child." He moved to activate his weapon again.**

The Fenton parents gasped.

"Relax, it's in the past," Jazz said soothingly. "It's not good for your blood pressure, Mom and Dad."

**The merged PDA suddenly rang out a ringtone. "What!" Skulker retracted his wrist, reading the incoming notification on the screen. "Fly to library? Get a book on eating habits of purple-back gorilla?" A jetpack suddenly appeared from the back of his suit. Skulker was involuntary dragged through the ceiling, turning intangible before he could go through it.**

" **No, stop! The hunt is not over!"**

The parents cheered loudly, while Jazz smiled watching their actions.

"Next time our son asks for some PDA money, we'll give it to him definitely," Maurice exclaimed.

**When the metal ghost had already passed through the basement's ceiling, he continued to fly up invisibly through the Fentons' living room, where the family and Connie were heading upstairs. Jack looked backwards in suspicion.**

"I knew it! HA! Jack Fenton's ghost sensor is infallible!" Jack was jumping up and down excitedly.

Maurice chuckled. "Ghost sensor, ghost sense—is this thing hereditary or what? You and Danny are just like Tucker and myself with our meat detection."

Nowadays, Jack always beamed happily whenever he was compared to his son, so he did just that.

**Back in the basement, the glowing bonds around Phantom's arms and ankles disappeared. Sam helped him up.**

" **What happened?"**

" **Who cares? At least I got a minute to relax and figure this out."**

"Danny totally shouldn't have tested his luck," Jazz said in her sing-song voice.

Everyone snickered.

**Just after that, Maddie's voice echoed from upstairs. "Danny, where are you? Somebody here wants to meet you."**

**Danny made a choked sound of surprise. "My room!" He quickly went intangible and soared to his room. When he reached his destination, he transformed back to human, just in time as Maddie pushed the door open.**

"My my, Maddie. Just one second late," commented Angela, chuckling at the timing.

"I know! It's so funny looking back."

" **Danny," called Maddie, opening the door wider to show Connie. "This is Connie, from Genius Magazine!"**

**Danny forcefully pushed the door back, and shut it. "Don't you people ever knock?" He then leaned against it. "Jazz is going to kill me for that."**

**From the hallway, Jazz echoed, "I'm gonna kill him for that."**

The audience burst out laughing.

Jazz chuckled. "Well, I suppose it's hard to have manners after dealing with a ghost."

**Connie mused to herself. "Brooding, messy, reclusive? Now those are the signs of a true genius! Oh, if only he were a woman."**

Again, everyone laughed.

Maddie grinned. "Definitely gonna talk to her soon."

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 19.49 p.m.**

Danny and the Red Huntress had not come back yet, but the students — many of them were avid fans of Phantom — were not worried because they were confident Danny would be back with a story of how he beat up whoever kidnapped Casper's queen bee. The only ones not really enjoying the screening were Sam, Tucker, and a couple of teachers. Dash was also secretly anxious, for Danny and also for Paulina, but he hid it well.

**The scene changed to the exterior of Casper High School. Tucker, Danny and Sam were walking up the front steps alongside with a crowd of students.**

**Danny turned around, eyes darting from side to side nervously. "Any sign of him?"**

" **Nope," Tucker checked his PDA (another one). "He hasn't bothered you for…thirty-eight minute. Maybe he's hunting somebody else now."**

"Oh, I know! I know!" Nathan was waving an arm up in the air, as if he was in a classroom. "He's hunting that gorilla! Sampson! Isn't that right, Sam? Isn't that right, Tucker?"

Tucker and Sam simultaneously sighed, looking like they had been painstakingly ignoring the overly-enthusiastic classmate for quite a while.

"When Danny's back," growled Sam, "I'm gonna kill him for encouraging this kid."

Tucker darted a glance at the teachers who were watching amusedly. "The teachers aren't even trying!"

**Noticing the new PDA, Sam asked incredulously, "How many of those things do you have?"**

" **Just two. Good thing I beamed all your info in here and backed it up," Tucker said to Danny. "Global thinking, Danny, the sign of a quality time manager." Tucker's PDA then beeped a notification: "Go to class!" He promptly pushed Danny inside. "Come on! You're late."**

Many people stared at the techno-geek, amused.

"Hey Foley, so you're Fenton's manager! Can I have your number?" Cohan, the film fanatic, yelled out.

Tucker snickered. "Sorry, Mike! That offer is only for the ladies." He wiggled his eyebrows at some of the girls who had eagerly taken out a notebook or a phone following Cohan's question. They immediately lost interest.

"Oh, darn it," Tucker pouted.

**The school bell rang. Tucker and Sam followed Danny into the school. Unnoticed, Skulker phased from the ground. "Soon, ghost boy. Soon."**

"What the hell's wrong with this ghost? He's so obsessed with Fenton," wondered Dash out loud.

"Are you jelly that you're not the center of attention of this Skul–Skulker?"

Many people gasped and looked around to find…that the one who had spoken was none other than Mikey.

Dale stood up and waved his fists. "Watch your mouth, loser!" Dash quickly put a hand on the other jock's arm to make him sit back down.

"Mr. Snyder!" Tetslaff intervened, giving the jock a look of warning.

"No," Dash explained. "I was just…saying." He threw a look at Mikey. However, the so-called nerd's attention was on his friends who congratulated him for that uncharacteristic bravery.

Watching from the sidelines, Tucker and Sam exchanged looks of surprise.

**Time skipped to the break after the first period. Danny walked to his locker, turned the combination lock. The hall started to empty out as students went to the cafeteria. Opening the locker's door, Danny screamed as four glowing chains shot out of it and bound him.**

**Sam and Tucker saw what happened. "Danny!"**

Among the audience, there were many exclamations and mutterings of "how could we/I have missed this?"

**Out of a blue mist, Skulker materialized. "I have you now, child!" The sound of a blaster charging could be heard. Danny gaped at the weapon aimed right in front of his face. However, a familiar ringtone was heard again.**

" **What! Go to the newsstand and purchase magazine with article about purple back gorillas?" Skulker's jetpack shot out of his back once again, and he was involuntarily lifted up out of the school.**

Ishiyama narrowed her eyes as she found the culprit who broke a part of the school's ceiling.

**The glowing chains disappeared. Danny stared at his two friends, baffled.**

" **Hmm," Tucker checked his PDA. "I have the same thing on mine."**

**Danny rubbed his shoulder. "I think we'll blow that one off." He stared upward apprehensively.**

"He followed the schedule Mr. Foley put in that PDA," said Lancer in an "eureka" tone. "Then it'd be possible to predict his next move."

Some people actually stared at Sam and Tucker, the unspoken question of why they had not figured it out yet hung in the air.

Sam snorted. "What do you expect? It's not like we knew then Skulker was so keen on hunting Danny."

"Yeah, we already got school and other stuff to worry about, but you'll see that we'd found the trick soon."

Sam whispered to Tucker. "You mean…Danny found the trick soon?" She snickered.

"Hey, I helped!"

**Time skipped again to their lunch break, when Danny, Tucker and Sam were sitting on the bleachers in the football stadium. They had each brought their own food. Tucker was already eating enthusiastically.**

" **Danny," Sam said to the anxious boy, "Eat something."**

The romance-enthusiasts struck again, exclaiming their "awwws" seeing the goth's worry on the screen. Sam narrowed her eyes at them.

**Danny sighed. "I can't eat now. He could be anywhere."**

The school counselor, Mr. Shaw — he was Penelope Spectra's successor, and had been thoroughly examined for his credentials in order to avoid the same disaster _again_ — wrote "paranoia" on his notepad. He had been quietly observing and cataloguing the student's psyche (as well as some other characters involved) ever since the screening was held.

**Tucker finished gulping down his food. "Hey! This food _was_ scheduled to be eaten." He opened Danny's carton of milk. A glowing orb suddenly appeared and attached itself to Danny's face. Danny yelped.**

Taken by surprise, some students also screamed.

" **Danny!" screamed Tucker and Sam.**

**Skulker showed his face. "Now, boy, once more I, Skulker, shall"—A familiar ringtone chimed again—"take photos of gorilla?" The jetpack appeared yet again and brought the ghost out of the picture. The glowing orbs vanished.**

"Another big fail for this guy," snickered Kwan.

"I know!" exclaimed Dash. "He can be our new bad luck Skulk!"

Star groaned. "Ugh no. Just no, Dash."

"Why not? We totally can't wail on Fenton and friends anymore, why not his enemies then?"

"Duh," called out Sam from her seat, "Maybe because the ghosts would utterly waste you so bad?"

Dash's face reddened as many people burst into snickers.

" **Well, at least he's a regular," Sam commented.**

" **Yeah," Danny slowly said in realization. "Almost like a schedule. What's the next thing you have scheduled for me, Tucker?"**

" **Gym. Why?"**

**Danny smiled.**

"Oooh, something cool is about to go down, right?" a red-haired cheerleader asked cheerfully. She was one of the few girls who had not swooned looking at the screen, and thus, was not at the receiving end of Sam's death glare.

Tucker snickered. "Eh… not really."

**The scene changed to the locker room, where Dash was admiring himself in front of a mirror.**

" **You are one smooth looking dude."**

The room exploded in hysterics. Although some girls were eyeing the screen hungrily _again_ , it was interrupted by Sam's rather loud proclamation of "Gross!" That was when admiration turned into a fit of giggles.

Dash put his face on his hands, completely embarrassed.

**Danny and Tucker walked in, intending to open their lockers. Danny hesitated before turning to look at Dash.**

" **Hey Dash?" he said. "I'm too weak and defenseless to open my locker. Can you open it for me?"**

**That did it. "Out of the way, loser!" Dash pushed Danny away and opened the boy's locker. A blue gel-like substance shot out from inside and engulfed Dash, covering his eyes as well.**

The nerds and band geeks cheered loudly. "Can you say, karma!?" Mikey's voice could be heard shouting. The cheers became louder.

Dash gritted his teeth. Kwan looked at him in sympathy.

"Your choice, dude," muttered Dale. "There's always tomorrow to wail on 'em."

Dash bit his lower lip as his long-ignored conscience had started to become alive again just recently. "I can't. Next thing you know that loser could be wolverine or something."

"Are you on crack?" Dale stared at him wide-eyed. "That's like, totally nuts!"

Dash shrugged.

**After the trap set in, Skulker predictably showed up. He gave Dash a once over. "Hmm, my sensors indicate you're an average human, destined for an average life after high school."**

Once again, the nerds and everyone who was Dash's bullying victims laughed in delight. Dash lost his temper and punched a chair, causing a loud bang that startled everyone.

"Just stop mocking me!" he yelled, eyes bright with anger.

"Dash mate, calm down," whispered Kwan, glancing nervously at the teachers.

"Y-yeah?" Mikey's thin voice replied. "W-what are you gonna do about it, Dash?" The A-listers and cheerleaders gasped, while the nerds and geeks rose up from their seats to applaud Mikey.

"Beat your ugly head to pulp and dump your ass to loserville, that's what!" Dale rose to Dash's defense.

Mikey became wide-eyed and gulped. "I–I'm gonna tell Danny!"

"Right! He's gonna save your sorry ass with his 'freaky ghost powers'! Amazing, how you weaklings want a _dead_ guy to play a hero—"

"Mr. Snyder, that's enough!" Lancer had come to stand behind the boy, staring him down. " _Gulliver's Travels_! Never in my life had I heard such horrendous defamatory attitude against another student, nor such blatant disregard for another student's right to express their opinions!"

Dale did not look apologetic. In fact, he looked a bit lost, like Lancer's words just went over his head.

"You will serve detention along with Ms. Sanchez and Ms. Manson starting tomorrow." The teacher turned to give a glare to Dash. "I suggest you to control your temper, Mr. Baxter, or _else_ …"

Dash sighed and nodded.

Sam grumbled quietly to herself. "Tomorrow's going to suck." Tucker patted her arm, wincing.

**Dash screamed, trying to escape unsuccessfully. Danny and Tucker peeked out from behind the lockers. Unfortunately, Skulker noticed them, and quickly formed an ecto-ball in his palm. "I shall"—a familiar ringtone rang—"the gorilla display at the museum history?"**

**In a whir of machinery, Skulker was once again whisked off to the programmed location.**

Star chuckled. "I swear this is one of the silliest ways to fight a ghost."

"Most of our fights are actually funny," Tucker replied. "But that's Danny for ya."

**On-screen Tucker was looking at the space Skulker had just vacated. "Why's he going there?"**

" **When Skulker put your PDA into his technology, he became bound to my schedule. He has to go where I was going to go next, which means…" Danny looked down at the PDA that displayed the words "visit gorilla habitat". "It's time for the hunter to become the hunted. Come on, we're gonna do something a little ahead of schedule."**

**They left.**

There were various mutterings of "well done", not least of which was Lancer's.

Tucker grinned. "Told ya we're quite the smart cookies."

"Keep dreaming, Tuck, maybe someday you might have an IQ higher than a room temperature."

"Yeah that's—hey, that's mean, Sam!"

Sam stuck out her tongue at him. The students and teachers had started to get used of the trio's (although the third member was away) interactions. Still, they watched, amused and intrigued at the same time.

**.**

**Ghost Zone, Time Unspecified**

Among the congregation of ghosts watching in Technus's lair, Skulker increasingly became the brunt of jokes. The Zone residents took delight in the fact that the proclaimed "ghost world's greatest hunter" was getting less and less likelier to catch the ghost boy as the video progressed. Some of them had been the prey, or had allies which had been prey, to the hunter's hunt. Of course, Skulker himself knew the ending of the episode. He was dreading every minute of it.

**The scene changed to show Sampson the gorilla in his habitat. Skulker was watching the creature majestically scratching his butt through his binoculars. "Where is he…? According to this infernal device"—the PDA was playing the game _Pong_ by itself—"which I _cannot_ reprogram–the ghost boy was supposed to be here an hour ago."**

**Skulker landed behind Sampson. "You're supposed to be the bait! You stupid animal!"**

Ember's shoulders had been shaking for the past few minutes because of her uncontrollable snickers.

**The gorilla turned around, and revealed itself not to be a gorilla at all. In fact, it was just a costume under which Sam and Tucker were disguised.**

" **Sampson's _not_ stupid!" Sam said angrily.**

" **He's also not here." Tucker held up a PDA and a stylus. "Can I take a message?"**

Youngblood was leading a bunch of small ghosts dancing around, chanting, "Skulky's been trolled…Skulky's been trolled…" Youngblood's shape-shifting partner — which was a parrot right now — was also squawking happily, causing a lot of noises.

Skulker readied his blasters. "I'mma blast those abominable midgets—"

"Oh no!" interrupted Technus. "You mustn't do such act of destruction in my lair! Or else what that tech-boy did to you will pale in comparison to my awesome control of the electronics."

"...You can do that?"

"Of course, I am Technus, the master of all technology and electronics!"

Every ghost rolled their glowing eyes.

" **You two!" thundered Skulker. "You'll pay for this!" Out of his metal suit, various weapons emerged. Most of them looked incredibly lethal.**

" **Oh I don't think so…" Tuck used his stylus to press "SEND" on his PDA. A familiar ring soon was heard from Skulker's tech.**

" **Time for push-ups. What!" The weapons retracted and Skulker was forced to obey that command, even as he tried to resist it along the way. "Stop! Stop! I can't….stop!"**

The ghostly audience laughed, some of them sounded more menacing than others.

Ember guffawed. "You're such a clown, mister."

Skulker stared at her. How in the world did she not notice that he was truly powerless against the PDA programming?

**Phantom came and interrupted. "I can help with that!" He flew at the forcefully working-out ghost and delivered a perfect punch. Skulker was thrown into the wall of the cage. Before the hunter could recover, Phantom followed up with a second, a third, a fourth — and so on — punches, until Skulker managed to evade. Due to the momentum of the last punch, the ghost boy tumbled. Skulker used the momentum to activate his blasters and aimed it at Phantom.**

There were many oohs and exclamation of disappointment from the crowd. Skulker glared at them.

"What the hell? The ghost kid's the enemy!"

" **Ah ah ah," Tucker interrupted. "Ten eleven. Polish armor." He pressed send.**

**The blasters promptly turned into a mechanical sweeper and started to polish Skulker's face. He screamed.**

The audience laughed noisily again. An unknown male ghost with wild orange hair even stood up and shouted, "By Pariah, this human kid is my idol!"

Skulker growled.

Meanwhile, Technus seemed to glance at Tucker and the orange-haired ghost back and forth, an idea slowly forming in his head.

**Sam turned to Tucker. "Stop fooling around, Tucker!"**

" **Power him down already," exclaimed Phantom. "Now!"**

**Tucker waved his PDA casually. "Relax. Everything's totally under"—an arrow was shot and nailed the PDA, breaking it—"…control? Oh man, I had _four_ more payments on this one!"**

"Gee, I hadn't even met this kid yet and he could give Shadow a run of his money," Johnny 13 muttered.

" **Tucker," said Phantom, "You're fired."**

**Skulker had recovered. "Very well. I planned on simply capturing you and letting you live the rest of your life in a cage. But now, I will rest your _pelt_ at the foot of my bed."**

There was a pause when all ghosts, no matter how tough they looked, shuddered. Then, many exclamations of disgust followed.

Ember snorted derisively. "Really, Skulker? Really?" She pointed at Youngblood who faked puking, as well as some of the rather naïve younger ghosts who genuinely paled.

"We can hang his pelt at your room if you'd nicely ask," Skulker suggested hopefully, hoping to win some favor with the girl.

"EW, NO!"

**Sam remarked, "Okay…that's just gross."**

" **Well, ghost boy, any last words?"**

**Phantom smirked before answering, "Just this!" He inexplicably patted his own head, covered and uncovered his own eyes, as well as using his fists to pound his chest.**

"Huh?" the ghosts said, confused.

" **What are you doing?" Skulker asked.**

**The boy scratched his butt. "Calling a friend!" From behind Skulker, Sampson roared and pounced on the ghost.**

**Sam looked on in amazement. "You learned his language?"**

" **Well sure! All he does is this…" He referred to the butt scratching.**

The ghosts made various sounds of understanding, while many were getting excited for Sampson. Skulker winced and closed his eyes.

**Sampson slammed Skulker on the ground. The trio cheered happily. Skulker got a hard punch to the gut. The trio gasped. A fist to the face. The trio cheered again. Another hard beating. Gasps of delighted mortification from the trio. Finally, Skulker was thrown and slammed to the ground, body parts missing.**

Many of the ghosts in the audience repeated the three human's (or two humans and a half-ghost, if you want to get technical) reactions. Some older ghosts covered the eyes of their ghost children when the violence got too much.

Ember, on the other hand, was getting more and more suspicious. She was also privately worried seeing her boyfriend getting beat up and had to contain her winces when she saw _body parts_ being disassembled. Thank the Ancients it was only her baby's battle suit, wasn't it? However, something was really amiss.

"Wait a second, where was your real hand then?" asked Ember. The screen was showing one of Skulker's metal hands thrown separate from the rest of the body suit.

 _Curse the ghost child and his show!_ Skulker thought miserably.

**Tucker made a remark, "But I still don't understand why a ghost needed a high-tech battle suit?"**

"Yeah why, mate?" Johnny echoed aloud. Many other ghosts also looked at Skulker in curiosity. But the ghost in question was muttering curses to the ghost boy under his breath.

**The beating still continued off-screen, and various parts of Skulker's battle suit were being dismantled. In the end, Phantom caught the head piece of the armor. There were two small green legs kicking frantically from inside the metal.**

Gasps were heard around the lair as the ghosts started to realize _it_.

**A squeaky voice was yelling, "Let me go! I am the Skulker! The Skulker! Do you hear me? Fear me!" Phantom pulled on the legs to reveal…a tiny green blob whose limbs were struggling, and whose face was set in his scariest expression — which was not scary in the least.**

**The trio's mouths were open in shock.**

Again, the ghost world seemed to emulate the exact same reactions as the trio's, and everyone turned toward the hunter ghost. Skulker had his weapons all out and was daring anybody to say something derogatory about his true state of being. There was a rare convoluted silence. Technus was hovering up and down in increasing panic, sensing the upcoming conflict.

The one who finally broke the silence was none other than Ember.

"W-what the hell!? You f-cking bastard!" Ember had angry tears running down her face.

Skulker found himself unable to reply her with violence. "Ember, hotness…"

"Shut the heck up! I don't need to hear any more of your damn lies, Skulker!"

"I...Look! Swear my after-life to Clockwork that I have never _ever_ lied to you!"

"I was sleeping with a f-cking _blob_ and I didn't know that! How's that supposed to make me feel?"

Skulker looked so deeply hurt that some of the ghosts started to pity him. "I…couldn't tell you obviously"—he sneered—"and your reactions just proved it."

"We're done."

.

The ghosts gasped while Skulker choked in disbelief. "You–you can't be s–serious! NO, WE'RE NOT DONE! Ember! Where the heck do you think you're going!?"

Ember was already flying to the lair's entrance. She smiled coldly. "To tell the rest of our world that I no longer want to be associated with a wimp." Then, she left.

Technus's lair was silent once more as everyone looked at the fuming Skulker.

"Mate," Johnny began sympathetically. "Just let her cool off. Women are tough like that. She's probably having a PMS– _ouch! Kitty_!" Kitty had whacked him in the head.

Skulker was no longer hearing any word, however. He was hovering back and forth in agitation. "A wimp! She called me a wimp! Me, the Skulker, a wimp!? Bitch's got it done!" He gazed at the assembly; some of them were staring at him with pity while those who used to be his enemies and preys were smirking at him. He could feel his ectoplasm pressure rise inside his small body.

"This is all Phantom's fault! I will show it to you, once and for all, who the greatest hunter in both worlds is! You'll see. You'll see. His pelt is going to be shown as an exhibition for all!" With a rather deranged laugh, Skulker flew outside, intending to chase the ghost boy.

"Damn," Kitty winced. "I feel bad for Phantom." Hearing that, Johnny sniffed and wrapped his arm around her possessively.

"Shall we finish watching then?" Technus offered.

**On screen, Skulker continued trying to intimidate the teens. "I am the greatest hunter in all of ghost world. You will all fear me!"**

**Phantom smiled. "Thermos, please."**

**Tucker opened the lid to the thermos. A blue beam subsequently shot out and sucked the blob ghost as he yelled desperately, "You haven't seen the last of me! I shall capture you all! You shall all be mine! Mine! Do you hear—" The lid was closed.**

**Phantom transformed and landed on the ground as Fenton. "Cool. Let's go home."**

" **But you didn't get anything you could use for your report. You're still gonna get a 'D'," said Sam.**

" **Ah, that's okay." Danny knelt down and picked up Skulker's PDA. "We stopped the bad guy, saved the gorilla. If that's all I got done, then that's"— Danny turned to Sampson as he walked nearer, and his eyes became wide—"Oh my gosh!"**

"What?" Desiree floated closer, interested.

**It suddenly cut to a shot of the cover of Genius Magazine. "He is a SHE!" was the headline, along with the caption "Genius child of a genius woman discovers gorilla male actually a female!" The female gorilla was posing with Danny, Maddie and Jack, grinning.**

Every ghost burst out laughing.

"The intricacies of human adulation never cease to amaze me," said Amorpho, shaking his cone-shaped head.

"That magazine is like, desperate!" squealed Kitty.

**Lancer grabbed and read the magazine aloud. "Brooding genius Daniel Fenton did what no other researchers do. He got close enough to this rare purple-back gorilla to realize Sampson was actually…a Delilah." The teacher frowned. "Nobody at that zoo ever bothered to see if it was a boy or a girl?"**

"How could the humans be not suspicious at all that _Danny_ _Fenton_ got close enough to a gorilla?" commented Poindexter.

Spectra smiled. "Never underestimate the manipulation of one's suspension of disbelief, dearest. It is all the power in the world."

" **That's weird, huh?" said Danny innocently. "Or maybe they were respecting her privacy."**

" **Well Fenton, I have to admit I'm impressed. You wanted to get your grade up so bad, you risked getting mauled by a gorilla." He put the graded paper on Danny's desk. "C."**

" **A 'C'!? I almost get killed by a gho–rilla, and all I get is a 'C'?"**

" **Life's a big mystery, isn't it, Fenton?"**

The Box Ghost laughed. "I like this teacher's spunk. He made Phantom sad!"

"I don't like Mr. Lancer at all," said Poindexter quietly to himself.

**The school bell rang. "Next time you want to get your grade up, try the library." Lancer left the class.**

**Danny was frowning. His two best friends came to console him.**

" **Well," Sam said, "It's better than a 'D' right?"**

" **Oh man! If only I had something I could take this out on!" It seemed that the universe granted Danny's wish for once, because the Box Ghost's characteristic diatribe could be heard next.**

" **I am the Box Ghost!" The overall-wearing ghost was hovering over a box of school files. "And once I empty you of your useless papers, your marvelous squareness shall be mine!" He let out a cackle.**

"Lame!" said many ghosts in the lair. The Box Ghost frowned.

" **Hello misplaced aggression!" said Danny as he transformed into Phantom.**

**Tucker the manager told him, "You've got five minutes."**

"— **which is four more than I'll need." Phantom flew off-screen. The sounds of the Box Ghost's panicky voice were heard soon after. The episode ended.**

"I take it back! That overweight human is not worthy to share my corrugated awesomeness!" the Box Ghost exclaimed.

Many ghosts raised their eyebrows — or the equivalent thereof — at the ghost's overweight comment, seeing that the Box Ghost himself was well… not in his ideal weight.

"Boxy is so lame!" mocked Youngblood. Many ghosts agreed with the kid, and some child-like ghosts also threw insults at the poor ghost.

In response, the Box Ghost puffed up in anger. He was so tempted to steal Pandora's box again just to prove his awesomeness at them. Truly, what was more awesome than a ghost who could control all the glorious boxes and cubical things in the world?

"Beware! I shall follow the hunter ghost's example and prove to you all that the Box Ghost is fearsome and menacing in all of my rectangular awesomeness! Just you'll see!" He soared to the ectoplasmically-dense air outside.

Everyone exchanged unimpressed glances. Nobody actually felt any pity, anger, or _any emotion at all_ seeing the ghost's pathetic attempt to imitate Skulker. They snickered instead.

.

**Guys-in-White Lab Facility, Amity Park, 20.02 p.m.**

"Boss, we received contact from K's base, saying he's gonna do something tonight."

"I suppose it's something drastic."

The agent shrugged. "K will be K, sir. Our tech guy is connecting you with him now."

A big screen in the room suddenly lit up, and the twelve personnel in the room looked up from their work. Operative K's face dominated the video, while O and L could be seen behind him.

"Its suit programming is more military-grade than we have expected, but we managed to decrypt the codes," K stated proudly.

The man in the center of the room rubbed the stubble on his chin. "What about the ghost? Your work is redundant if you didn't locate it as well."

"Actually, that's the reason we're contacting you. It's recently been spotted in our Amity Park radar a few minutes ago."

"Excellent, make sure to contact HQ before you proceed." The screen went black. The man leaned back on his swivel chair, and said to his men dismissively, "Those idiots are going to screw it up. Continue what you've been doing, people."

.

**Guys-in-White Outpost, Exact Location Unspecified, 20.03 p.m. (UTC -6h)**

"See?" K turned to his comrades smirking. "They're impressed."

"Doesn't look much like impressed to me," L retorted back. O rolled his eyes at K.

K turned to a picture of Skulker he managed to screenshot when the episode aired. "So big guy, your suit is hack-able, eh? Let the party begin!"

O joined in enthusiastically, typing some codes to his laptop. "Somebody should tell this ghost to encrypt the suit better. This is an unbelievable liability. Almost too easy!"

L sat back and watched, cautiously hopeful.

.

.

**To be continued in "Supremacy of Technology" a.k.a. Attack of the Killer Garage Sale.**


	9. Supremacy of Technology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. That includes the dialogues and plot contained within the episode "Attack of the Killer Garage Sale".
> 
> A/N: An important thing you should know, the time written for each 'scene' might not always be chronological to one another. Nevertheless, if there's a big rewind/jump like what happened in the previous chapter (the one-hour-before flashback to Leonard Bastien's introduction), you will be notified.
> 
> Italicized words indicate flashback, thoughts, and emphasis.

**Chapter 9: Supremacy of Technology**

**.**

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 19.50 p.m.**

"You sure this gonna work?" a lanky boy asked, doubt was evident in his voice. His arms were crossed while he watched another boy, who looked a year or two older than him due to his taller height, fumbling with a stack of dusty cardboard boxes.

The other boy looked up from his work of carefully placing yet another box on top of the stack, to glare at him. "If you ain't gonna help, shut that big fat mouth and go help Janice."

"Hell no, who in their right mind wants to spend any more time with that smelly bag of crying satan-in-diaper!?"

Dusting his hands after placing a box on one particularly difficult spot at the top, the boy smiled in satisfaction, before giving his brother a look. "I'm gunna tell her you just called your baby sister 'satan-in-diaper', James."

Recently identified as 'James', the boy uncrossed his arms and shrugged, glancing toward the open door to their living room from their location at the front lawn. There was a faint sound of a child crying, followed by a distinctly feminine voice trying – rather unsuccessfully – to comfort the tyke.

"—and it's done!" James' attention was grabbed again by the cheering boy. In front of him, their mini-mountain of boxes stood.

"So, oh great thinker," said James as he walked over to stand next to his brother, "Please enlighten this poor, helpless guy. How's this great idea of yours gonna call Phantom to us?"

A scowl was what James got in response. "These boxes will start a chain of react—"

"Oi! You're done?" The interruption came from a brown-haired girl whose head was peeking out from the doorway. "'Cause the TV's gonna start and—holy molly! Are those…boxes?"

James snickered, while his brother sighed and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Not just any _boxes_ , Janice, it's a—"

"So this is your great plan after all?" Janice walked to the front lawn; a disapproving frown was on her eyebrows. In her hands, an adorable six-year-old child was sniffling. The child took one glance at the boxes, and promptly burst into tears again. Janice frantically tried to calm her down.

James glared at the oldest brother. "Next time, don't make promises you can't keep."

"I _didn't_ make any promise. I _said_ I knew Fenton when I was in Casper."

"Yeah, how many years has it been? Two? Three? He's way below your grade. I didn't think you ever talked to him, Aidan."

Aidan scoffed. "I was the head of the astronomy club in middle school. I'm sure he remembers me."

"That doesn't give you excuse," whispered Janice angrily, in the midst of trying to coo the little girl into quietness, "to say, 'Hey Judy, you can meet Danny Phantom 'cause I'm his friend!' Sheesh! Seriously Aidan, you know how much she likes him."

Hearing the words "Danny Phantom", the child hiccupped and continued her tantrum, even louder this time.

James grinned. "Now you've done it too."

"That's why I made this masterpiece," said Aidan loudly in order to be heard against the cries. "See, my plan is to invite the Box Ghost to our place. According to the TV, he _loves_ boxes." Aidan ignored the "duh" looks on the siblings' faces. "If there's a ghost around, usually Phantom is behind, am I right or not?"

"That's awfully complicated…"

"Well, my first plan is to have you, Jan"—he glanced at the older sister—"falling from the rooftop."

"What!"

"But that's obviously risky as hell, and there's no guarantee that it's Phantom who'll come, not the fire department. He has a 'ghost sense' after all. So there's gotta be a ghost."

Janice had a look on her face like she wanted to tear Aidan apart, but she was kept back by the fussing child in her arms. She turned her nose up at him and started to walk back inside. "That's one of the most stupid thing I've seen you do, brother. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna watch the next two segments again and check up on Dad."

The two brothers could hear her muttering "someone's got to be responsible in this family" as she went. Little Judy's face peeked out from behind her back, staring with damp eyes at the curious stack of boxes. Her crying had subsided into small hiccups. A small Phantom plush doll was clutched in her grasp.

"So…," James said in the ensuing silence. "You got the boxes, but no ghost in sight."

Gritting his teeth, Aidan replied, "Just wait for it." He stubbornly planted his feet on the ground and looked up to the sky.

James sighed. Not wanting to leave his brother alone to go inside — _dammit, I'm gunna miss the next show —_ he waited.

.

James did not know how long they'd waited, but his feet were starting to cramp. "Aidan—" he began.

"—Oh great and scary Box Ghost! I plead for your perilous presence with these offerings! THE TRAPEZOID OF TERRORS!"

" _Dammit_ , Aidan! I know you're a bit insane but—"

"OH GREAT AND SCARY BOX GHOST…!"

"…I'm going inside."

.

"Did somebody say scary!?" An echoing voice sounded. The Box Ghost materialized out of thin air. "Beware! I am the Box Ghost! You don't know scary until—wait, are those BOXES!?"

There was a slight drop in temperature as the ghost used his powers to control the mass ammunition he'd just been given. That was the only warning James and Aidan got, before everything turned into chaos.

.

In the night sky, the Box Ghost's echoing laugh could be heard. "I will make sure that no human or ghost will ever call the Box Ghost lame anymore! BEWARE!"

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 19.58 p.m.**

"No sign of her? Of anything?" asked Tucker to his phone. "Danny, maybe you should give it a rest and come back here."

"Tuck, I've only searched half of the city—wait, is this thing on loudspeaker?"

Tucker, Sam, Lancer and Ishiyama paused. "Well, there's only me, Sam, Mr. Lancer, and Principal Ishiyama, dude. We keep things quiet for the most part." Tucker glanced at Dash who was trying discreetly to get closer to them, followed by a fretting Kwan.

Sam said to both teachers, "I told you he'd know."

"You guys are really loud over here," said Danny, chuckling.

"Well, Mr. Fenton," began Ishiyama. "It's already half an hour, so I suggest you come back to the school right now. We can discuss what we should do for Ms. Sanchez then."

"Please give me...um… another half-an-hour, Ma'am. I haven't covered East and South yet."

"Mr. Fenton…"

"Danny," interrupted Sam. "What if they don't want to be found until tomorrow? The note said so. Did you check the docks by the way?"

There was a sound of frustration from the phone. "Yeah, Sam, the docks are empty except for the regular workers. And I don't want to risk it 'till tomorrow. What did Jazz and my parents say?"

"I called Jazz before your parents. She said she'd break the news to them. Right now your mom is on a rampage against Skulker."

"…sweet…"

"Jazz wanted to tell you to leave it off 'till tomorrow by the way. At least until she gets the chance to see the note. And Danny, don't you think I didn't notice you changing the topic."

"Sam…"

"Dude," Tucker said, "Just come back and think for a bit, alright? From my perspective, whoever made the note doesn't seem to be in a hurry to finish off Paulina." He immediately received disapproving looks from both teachers. "Uh…I mean, there's still time!"

Danny's reply was delivered dryly. "Time until Paulina's body to be 'the only thing found near the docks'? Why are you guys taking this lightly?"

"Daniel," said Mr. Lancer, "As much as I myself worry about Miss Sanchez, I agree with everyone here. You are acting too impulsively. We need to plan our actions carefully."

"…Mr. Lancer? Have you even told Paulina's dad about what happened to her? I'm sure he'll say differently."

"And what if I tell your parents right now that their son is throwing himself into danger without any heed of his personal safety?" The teacher said, incensed. " _Paradise Lost_ , Daniel! I want you to _think_!"

There was a silence on the other end. Sam and Tucker had been struck into silence during the argument.

"Danny?" asked Sam, her eyes worried.

"I _think_ about what condition Paulina is in, and whether she's hurt or not. I _think_ about how she'd feel if there's no one to search for her. I _think_ about what her kidnappers would do to her if I make one single wrong move. I _think_ about how her family would feel when someone they love is in danger right now. So please, don't say that I haven't thought about all that, because right now…I'm thinking about how _human_ and _vulnerable_ she is if they'd decided to do anything to her. I'm already half-dead, Mr. Lancer, and she's not. And I plan to keep her, _and any of you_ , that way as long as I can…"

When there was no answer, Danny continued, "Listen, I know it's a bit hard for you to trust me, but just give me more time to find her."

Sam smiled sadly, and yet fondly at the same time. "I just…want you to be very careful, Danny. When there's any trouble, you have to call us, you hear me? Half-dead or not, your life is worth more than Paulina's will ever be"—she glanced warily at the teachers—"…to me."

"Aw, Sam Manson's getting mushy on me? Not that I don't appreciate it of course."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Shut up, dork." But she was still smiling. The teachers and Tucker had respectfully refrained from commenting.

"Uh, Danny," Tucker began as a thought suddenly came into his mind, like a warning bell that was previously ignored, but then it hit you in the face with the force of a thousand decibels. "Val–I mean, the Red Huntress is with you, right?"

"The Red Huntress? Tuck, she's not–I thought she was with you in Casper?"

"No," Tucker managed to say evenly. "She's been following you ever since you left."

"Well, I haven't seen her, Tuck." They could detect a note of increasing worry in his voice. "Oh crud… I'll keep a look out for her." The line went dead.

"I'm sure she can take care of herself, right?" asked Tucker, mainly to Sam.

"Let's hope they _both_ can take care of themselves, Tuck," murmured Sam. When Tucker looked away, Sam allowed a suspicious look to come over her face. "This is certainly interesting…"

.

**Foley's Residence, 19.50 p.m.**

Jazz darted a glance at her phone as she placed her coffee cup on the table. Sam had not contacted her again after that call, the call that informed her that her brother was outside searching for his classmate's possible kidnappers. When hearing the news, Jazz had debated whether to tell her parents or not. She settled on keeping it to herself. Her justification was that her brother had faced so many dangerous ghosts on his own. What could a few thugs do against ghost powers? There was a reason why she sometimes harbored ghost envy; humans were relatively inferior compared to ghosts.

"So Jazz," Maddie said, smiling as she looked at her daughter, "What do you suppose the next segment is about?"

"Uh, I don't know, Mom. Danny's rarely forthcoming about his adventures."

"That's alright!" Jack said. "We'll have our own adventure then discovering his adventures!" The Fentons and Foleys turned their attention to the TV that was showing the third segment of the night.

**The first scene showed the Fentonworks building. Inside, Jazz was in the middle of a tutoring session with Dash. Dash was gazing dreamily at her while she tried her best to explain the math concept.**

" **Okay, in algebraic terms, A squared plus B squared equals C squared, where C is the hypotenuse while A and B are the sides of the triangle. Got it?" explained Jazz as she drew the equation and graph on a piece of paper.**

**She looked up to see that Dash was not even looking at the paper. Dash sighed and continued to gaze at her. Jazz frowned.**

Maddie frowned. "I wasn't aware this happening."

"There wasn't anything happening, Mom!" Jazz exclaimed exasperatedly. "Gee, there's nothing attractive about a guy who bullies my brother and who's a proven untutorable."

Maurice whispered to Angela, "Untutorable?" The woman only shrugged.

" **Dash, you have to focus! I'm doing a thesis on tutoring the untutorable, and you're disproving my thesis that nobody's untutorable!"**

"I had to redo my twelve-page of research and build up my hypothesis from scratch," Jazz murmured.

Maddie sent a sympathetic look at her. "That's too bad, honey. Although, there has to be a factor that could justify Dash's behavior and put him as a least likely case to your hypothesis."

"He's a jock who's undergoing puberty," Jazz said, shrugging. "I think that's a moot point already. Besides, I'm on my way to finish my ghost envy article. It's going to be great for my college application, don't you think?"

Maddie smiled in approval, while Jack flashed her a thumbs-up from his seat.

**Dash's academic reply was, "You know, you're beautiful when you used the word 'un–un–uh–un...', whatever that word is..."**

**Jazz sent him an unimpressed look.**

"Wow," Maddie said before dissolving into giggles. The adults shook their heads and chuckled.

**Danny came in while slurping a drink in a glass. "Hey Jazz—" He stopped seeing Jazz's current guest. "Dash! W-what are you doing here?"**

**Danny tried to act cool by leaning his glass against the table, expression laid-back. However, his arm suddenly turned intangible and Danny lost his balance. He knocked a stack of papers and books against Dash.**

Jazz gaped. "Okay. I did _not_ notice that. Did I blink at the exact moment or what?"

Maurice laughed. "Oh, what an epic coincidence!"

**Dash rose up in anger. "Watch it, Fentonowsky!**

Maddie growled.

"Fentonowsky," murmured Jack, "Fentonowsky! Now that's a great derivative of the Fenton name! We can incorporate that to our newest inventions, Mads!"

"Dad, just no..."

**Danny backed up slowly toward the door. "Uh...sorry. I was just , uh, passing through!" He slammed the door behind him.**

**Dash grabbed an errant book on top of his head and put it down on the table. "Now that twink's out of the way—"**

"Just who did he call a _twink_?" growled the angered mother.

"I don't get it," said Angela. "What has Danny done to these kids so that they target him personally? It can't be just because of that nerds versus jocks nonsense, right? Neither Danny nor Tucker is a usual nerd."

"— **you come to my party Saturday, right?" Dash grabbed an invitation from his jacket. "It'll be a chance for you to see me in my rightful setting: king of Casper High." He handed the invite to Jazz.**

**Jazz stared at the words "Da Bash BASH!", unconvinced. "And a great place to work on my thesis on the effects of being mean to my brother and then asking me out..."**

"Jazzy-pants, you did not attend that party, right?" asked Jack.

"I didn't." Jazz smiled. "But _someone_ else did."

" **Hmmm...," deliberated Jazz as she examined the invite, "I'll go, on one condition." The scene faded out.**

"Huh?" Everyone looked at Jazz.

The girl was raising her eyebrows at the TV. "They cut it there, huh?" She turned to the others and explained, "Well, I said to him I'd go if he invited Danny along. I thought all they needed was contact. See, according to the contact hypothesis, a contact between two warring parties can promote tolerance and acceptance, as long as there's equal status and common goals."

Angela smiled. "Well, there you have the problem. The equal status and common goals are non-existent in my opinion."

"I know, Mrs. Foley, I just thought—you know, to give it a chance. Danny was certainly happy with the idea."

Jack raised an eyebrow at that. "Danny-boy wanted to hang out with that bully boy?"

"He was rather big on the popularity idea back then, Dad."

The Fenton parents seemed to deflate slightly. They were faced with yet another proof of their inattentiveness toward their children, mainly their son. On the bright side, they were glad that Jazz had taken the initiative to pick up the slack in their parenting abilities. Their son deserved so much more than they'd given him. Maddie and Jack resolved to do better. Jazz, being an empathetic person she was, cast a worried look at her parents.

**The next scene followed Danny who was walking to the lab basement, his eyes downcast. He was startled when he heard Jack's sudden "Hey, Danny!".**

**Jack was holding a vacuum-like device. "Check out the latest innovation in ghost-grabbing technology, the Ghost Weasel! It collects ambient ghost energy and shoots it into the Ghost Zone!"**

" **Does it work?" Danny asked, looking worried.**

Jack sighed, starting to understand Danny's previously-bewildering reluctance. Danny had been and was still the first person Jack usually premiered his innovation to. He all the more appreciated his son's tact and willingness to do so.

" **Why wouldn't it?" exclaimed Jack, "Only one way to find out!"**

**He enthusiastically activated the Weasel. It began to vacuum scattered papers, various lab junks, and finally, the Fenton Thermos — its volume immediately obstructed the opening of the machine. Jack tried to pull the thermos out.**

" **Darn it," he cursed, as his effort remained futile. "Better get the Fenton Unclogger!" Jack promptly placed the vibrating Weasel in Danny's hands and ran out of the lab.**

"Jack," reprimanded Maddie who was frowning heavily. Jack rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"This is not going to be good," said Angela.

"Oh no," Maurice disagreed. "It's going to be good!"

" **Dad," Danny said to the thin air, "Couldn't you just...throw it into..."—he saw the 'reverse' button on the machine, and pressed it. The thermos got thrown out and hit the 'on' button on the Ghost Zone control panel—"...reverse!"**

**A green mist appeared from the opened portal.**

Maurice grinned. "I told ya we're gonna see some action again!"

**The mist shifted to form a ghost who was wearing some sort of lab coat. His hair was white and his skin was green. The ghost's whole appearance screamed 'mad scientist'. It didn't help that he was also laughing maniacally when he came out.**

" **Child! You have freed me! Technus, ghost master of science and electrical technology!" Technus's hands glowed with green energy.**

Maddie was watching the TV with a stumped expression on her face. "You know, I learn more about ghosts by watching this show than during my twenty-year career of studying the paranormal. I suppose I should be sad."

"Mom, you and Dad made the portal to another dimension," said Jazz encouragingly, "I wasn't a believer before, but now I can truly appreciate what you guys did. I know Danny feels the same too."

"Thank you, Jazz," smiled Maddie. She did not share her unspoken thought that the very same portal had also essentially killed and changed her son in a way she couldn't imagine.

" **Oh no you don't!" Danny said as he put down the Weasel and jumped into the air, changing into Phantom instantly. "You're not going to use the technology in this lab to take over the world!"**

"Bless this child," commented Angela, smiling as she shook her head.

" **What?" Technus looked around, genuinely confused. "That's a great idea! Have you ever considered tutoring?"**

"Gosh!" Jazz gasped, holding her sides. "I'm never gonna let Danny live this down!"

Everyone else was also laughing.

"Let's imagine this for one moment!" Maurice grinned and closed his eyes. "Danny Phantom's school of villainy: teaching your average ghost how to destroy the world in five seconds. Ha! That kid's got no evil bone in him!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Jack. "Danny _just_ can't be evil!"

Jazz's laugh abruptly stopped.

**Ignoring the comment, Phantom charged at the technology ghost, but the ghost was prepared. He had an electrical staff which electrocuted the ghost boy once he got near. Phantom was driven backwards forcefully.**

**Recovering, Danny said, "You know what? I've already been dumped on once in my own house, and that's enough for one day!"**

Maddie smiled softly.

**Phantom proceeded to activate the Fenton Weasel. Pieces of papers were pulled in, and soon enough, Technus couldn't resist the force and got vacuumed as well.**

"GO SON/PHANTOM!" cheered Jack and Maurice.

"Wait! Something's happening!" said Jazz, attention fixed on the screen.

**The Fenton Weasel started to blink and tremble, indicating that it was on overload. Phantom watched worriedly as it kept sucking various lab equipment without stopping. Finally, it exploded.**

"Eh?" muttered Jack, who was frozen in a half-standing position with both hands raised.

**The explosion caused some glowing green goo to be spouted out, covering the surfaces of various tables and equipment in the lab, causing a great mess. Phantom was still hovering, holding one broken end of the hose and staring at the mess.**

"Oh dear," murmured Maurice.

" **Danny!" Jack's voice called out. "I'm coming back! And I can't wait to see the lab looking _exactly_ as I left it!" **

**Phantom dropped the hose, turned intangible and invisible, and sped out through the ceiling. Just afterward, Jack bounced down the steps to the lab, holding the Fenton Unclogger in his hand. He took one look around the lab.**

" **Yep! Perfect!"**

Everyone slowly turned their heads to stare at the man.

"Dad, what's going on?" asked Jazz, voicing everyone's question.

"Well," Jack paused, unsure how to begin, "I was just...uh...goin' easy on him, you know?"

Maddie frowned. "What do you mean by that, Jack? Why did you go easy on Danny?"

"Mads, do you remember that it was around the time when Dann-o's lower grades were starting to show? He used to try really hard to make up for it..."

_Jack stared at yet another abysmal grade in Danny's mid-term report. This time it was a 'C' in Biology. Danny's insistence that it used to be a 'D' before he submitted the gorilla observation extra-credit project did nothing to assuage the disappointment Jack couldn't help feeling. He couldn't understand the drastic change. Danny used to be at least above average in his subjects, scoring the occasional 'A's whenever he had enough interest. But this..._

_In the span of three months, Jack had apparently been called for a parent-teacher conference — the first in a long time since the one when Danny was a kindergarten-er. A meeting that Jack could barely recall, maybe he had too much liquor prior to that?_

" _Dad?" Danny's hesitant voice brought him out of his musings. "Uh...it's totally fine if you're–you're mad at me. I guess...I'm gonna try my best before the term ends."_

" _Son, I'd be"—Jack ran a hand through his hair, exhaling—"lying if I say I'm not disappointed with this. This isn't like you. Danny, you know you can tell me anything, alright?"_

_To Jack's surprise, instead of being comforted, Danny seemed to go paler. Jack dismissed it as a trick of the light. "There's nothing to tell, Dad. I just...lost my motivation studying? I'll try harder, I promise."_

" _Don't make promises you can't keep, Dann-o."_

_The boy sighed. "I know, Dad. I just wish—I dunno," he seemed to murmur more to himself. Jack couldn't stand seeing his boy so dejected, so he tried to cheer him up._

" _I know what will make us feel better!" Danny perked up at this. "You can help me in the lab, and then we can have a fudge-fest! Without your mother knowing of course." Jack emphasized that with a wink._

_Danny laughed._

_Since then, Jack noticed Danny hanging around the lab more often than before. He was happy because his son seemed to take interest in his work — Jack also shared his brilliant ideas to him — and Danny genuinely tried to help. However, "try" was the operative word. Jack knew Danny shared some of his clumsiness, but never to this extent. Sometimes, Jack told Danny to hold some of the measuring beakers while he tinkered with his invention. Danny would somehow lose his hold and break the fragile glass. Many times, Jack came down to find Danny standing near the portal, and the lab was messy like a bull suddenly decided to trample all over it. Jack would've ordered Danny to clean up the mess if he didn't look exhausted standing there._

" _Try" was also the operative word for Danny's academic promise. Jack could also see that Danny tried hard, so he couldn't understand why the result had not shown. His boy seemed to be truly remorseful. Jack chalked it up to the increasingly far-away dream of becoming an astronaut._

_It seemed that Jazzy-pants' psychobabble did not go over his head completely, because Jack was suddenly inspired by the idea to enforce a positive environment for Danny. When everyone else and Danny himself put his boy down, Jack Fenton was determined to cheer him up._

_A broken beaker? "It's alright, son! Ectoplasmic residue can be slippery without gloves, you know. Why don't you put on a pair for yourself?"_

_A messy lab? "Perfect! There's nothing else that gets your brain going!"_

_A bad grade? "I got a B minus back in college, Dann-o! Now, you just need to raise yours a tiny bit!"_

_Danny's surprised and, subsequently, grateful looks sent his way justified it. Maybe in time his son would open up to him..._

"...so I thought that I would go easy on him since he looked rather depressed. No son of Jack Fenton should be sad!" Jack let out a forlorn smile. "Now… everything really makes sense."

Jazz looked at her father in awe.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.04 p.m.**

"What an idiot."

The students turned their attention to Dash, who had suddenly stood up and was swinging his fists menacingly.

"Say that once again, Dale," the quarterback growled. "I f–cking dare you."

The dark skinned fellow footballer merely smirked. "Jack Fenton is a big dumb idiot, and so is his shitty excuse of a son."

Kwan and a few other footballers had to restrain Dash's arms from causing some serious bodily harm, while the spectators seemed to be stupefied. That did not stop Dash from letting out a string of expletives, with eyes that nearly popped out of his head.

"You son of a bi—"

"NOT IN MY SCHOOL, MISTER BAXTER!" shrieked Ishiyama. "You too, Mister Snyder! Tonight, I have seen more petty fights than in my whole teaching career! All from the seniors! You all should be ashamed!"

Everyone dutifully turned their attention back to the screen. However, Mr. Lancer seemed to be eyeing Dale's figure with the most disdainful expression anyone had ever seen on the English teacher.

**After the customary display of the title card ("Attack of the Killer Garage Sale"), the scene opened at the Nasty Burger, where many Casper High students could be seen hanging out after school. Danny, Sam, and Tucker were among the crowd.**

" **So, Saturday night plans," Sam said, "I say we hit the new amusement park. I hear their new roller coaster has a free fall that'll take three years off your life expectancy."**

Mikey turned to Sam with an incredulous expression. "Girl, you _are_ crazy!"

Sam snorted.

" **No way, it costs forty bucks just to get in there, not to mention food and stuff," replied Tucker.**

" **Hey, if you're tapped out, I could lend you the cash."**

**Tucker was still not interested. "Lend means 'repay', and 'repay' is out of my reach, right Danny?" He glanced sideways at Danny and realized that the guy was not paying any attention to the conversation.**

" **Danny. Hello?"**

**Tucker looked up to see what had his friend's attention: Dash was strutting confidently around the restaurant, handling out party invites to the in-crowd students. Everyone was cheering. He also gave one to Paulina, with a special care given.**

" **Great," muttered Danny, "It's the hottest party of the whole school year, and Paulina's going, and I'm not, _again_."**

"Hey, there were a lot of us not going, too," exclaimed a girl named Megan. She was one of the science club students, and true to her passion, she was still wearing a lab coat over her casual wear for the screening. Some of the people near her seat also nodded, including Mikey and Nathan.

Many A-listers looked on awkwardly.

**Sam frowned. "I don't understand what you see in her."**

" **Are you kidding me?" Danny turned to stare at Sam. "She's only like, perfectly flawless."**

"Oh great," Sam rolled her eyes, "Do I have to see Danny being insufferable once again?"

"You're dating the guy. Better get used to it," said Tucker, snickering.

**At the cashier, Paulina was in the process of ordering her meal. "Okay, let me get the Mighty Meaty Cheesy Melt. Um…how meaty is that?"**

**The cashier answered, "That would be mighty meaty."**

" **Well, can I get it a _might_ less meaty?"**

" **That's one Mighty _Mini_ Meaty Cheesy Melt." The cashier typed into the register, expression flat.**

**Paulina smiled.**

"Ugh, seriously?" Kwan muttered, "Now that she's not here, who in the right mind ordered a Mighty Mini Meaty Cheesy Melt? That just defeats the whole purpose of mighty meaty melt!"

Some of the A-listers chuckled.

"Too true, man!" called out Tucker, grinning. "She defiled our lord and savior mighty meaty marvelously magnificent cheesy melt! Hey, that's totally a tongue twister."

Sam glared at the techno-geek playfully.

" **You're right," said Sam, "She's a goddess."**

" **Why don't we get invited to the really cool parties?" asked Tucker, "We've got style, charm, good looks…at least I do anyway."**

Dale snorted. "You know what I hate the most?"

"Dale—" interrupted Dash.

"Delusional losers!" finished Dale.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you!?"

"No, Baxter, I'm not talking to you until you come out of your loser funk."

Dash let out a low, animalistic growl.

" **Dream on." Sam sighed. "On the social circuit, we're as invisible as Danny in his ghost mode. Not that it'll matter five years from now, but…we have each other, right?"**

"Well said, Miss Manson," Lancer approved. "There is no need to pressure yourself to be 'in-crowd', just look at my example—you can still be hip even in your forties." The teacher smiled.

Sam chuckled nervously.

**Suddenly, an invite was slapped on Danny's face.**

" **Here!" Dash Baxter barked. "Your sister made me invite you"—he looked to the side seeing Sam and Tucker who had expectant looks on their faces—"just. you." He pointed harshly at Danny. "Show up. Shut it. Go home. And nobody gets hurt."**

"What did you mean by 'nobody gets hurt', Mr. Baxter?" asked Lancer imperiously.

"Uh…uh…," Dash looked left and right for help, but his fellow A-listers shook their heads. Dale was only watching with a smirk. "It means…just a silly threat, Mr. Lancer?"

"It's just a lip service in 'cool' speak, Mr. Lancer," Dale interjected smoothly. "You know, us kids usually use that lingo like, in action movies. It's like, when Arnold Schwarzenegger said 'I'll be back' as his parting words. Yeah! That's how it is."

The English teacher looked thoughtful.

Mikey, alongside with a few others who were usually the ones 'getting hurt' due to the actions of Dash or the other A-listers, opened their mouths to disagree. However, Dale and a few popular jocks silenced them with hostile looks.

Dash looked oddly resigned.

**Seeing the invitation, Danny grinned. He looked around, and suddenly, the students who'd never given him any time of their days, started to be extremely friendly to him.**

" **Hi, Danny!" said a passing girl with a bandana on her head.**

Lucy beamed in delight seeing herself on-screen, and then she frowned. "Was that how my hair looks like in public?"

Sam rolled her eyes at the girl.

**Kwan came over. "What's up, Fenton? PARTY!" He threw his hands up and walked away happily.**

Kwan shook his head seeing his younger self's antics.

**Finally, Paulina passed by and turned to Danny. She waved. "See you soon Saturday, Danny."**

**Danny looked gobsmacked. "I'm—I'm invited! I've arrived!"**

" **Swell," commented Sam, "Send us a postcard from popularity-ville."**

**He got up and ran outside. "I will!" Danny called out.**

" _The Count of Monte Cristo,_ students!" exclaimed Lancer. "This… 'popularity' thing is getting ludicrous! Even Daniel too?" He looked at Sam and Tucker for explanation.

"Don't worry, sir. Danny learned his lesson by the end of this event," said Sam, smiling.

"Or else Sam's gotta kick his butt," Tucker added. Seeing Sam's glare, he shrugged, "What? Everyone knows you have zero tolerance for shallowness."

In the meanwhile, Lancer's words had made Dash re-evaluate his options again. Wait a moment, Dash, the 'king' of jocks and all coolness in Casper was thinking? Yep, you read that right. Although most people would assume that Dash earned his position because of his quarterback position in the football team, he actually put a lot of work to get there and maintain his social status. Bullying the 'losers' was one way to assert your authority. Dash had played the game for long, but then it was a whole new game when your target was also the one you idolized as your hero.

Dash was now in a great danger of losing his power. Due to his recent actions, some of the A-listers directly below him – in the social hierarchy – tried to take over the unofficial title of 'King of Casper High'. Dale was one of them. He had thought Fenton would be the one to do so (and Dash would've more than willingly given it to him). However, it seemed that Fenton was still Fenton. He was too much of a good guy.

Considering Dale's increasing hostility to him, coupled with Paulina's unexpected kidnapping, Dash was certain he would be usurped soon. If Dale was to be the one to do so, he knew that Fenton would be the target of ire for Dale's campaign.

.

He made a resolve. It was a 'bout time after all he emulated the actions of his favorite superhero.

.

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 20.05 p.m.**

"CALL THE 911!" James screamed, as he ran across the street with his brother following close behind. Their last hiding place (under a patio table) had been blown apart by the aerial bombardment of boxes. Who knew that Aidan had placed several honest-to-god stones inside some of the boxes for balancing purposes? James certainly didn't. "NOW!"

"I can't!" Aidan exclaimed. They had to duck and catch their breath for a moment. "My phone's inside! I only have my camera with—Jamie, WATCH OUT!"

James was too late to avoid the assault of one box against his mid-section. He was thrown against a wall. "Aurfghhhh!"

"James!" Aidan shouted in panic, trying to run to James' side. Unfortunately, the Box Ghost landed right on his path, laughing and glowing in delight. Aidan screamed in surprise.

"Beware! The Box Ghost must thank you for your mighty collection of boxes, puny humans!"

Aidan tried to find a way around the ghost, but he couldn't yet. "I'm—I'm not afraid of the lamest ghost in Amity Park!" he yelled, successfully hiding the wavers in his voice.

"LAMEST GHOST IN AMITY PARK!?" The Box Ghost's aura seemed to grow in size, making him much more menacing. "NOBODY CALLS THE BOX GHOST LAME! NO MORE!"

Aidan gulped. He inwardly cursed Channel 6 for advertising this ghost as one of the least dangerous. _Least dangerous holy frizzling nugget, should'a told us every ghost is dangerous when angered._ He backed away very slowly. Suddenly, an object was thrown right at the head of the ghost, and since the ghost was tangible, it almost made him lose control of flight. The object was none other than a certain (in)famous ghost boy's mini-doll. The human and the ghost stared at it for a moment.

"Get 'way from Ai'an!" a shrill, high-pitched voice of a small child could be heard from the direction of the house.

They looked up to see little Judy who was already at the front lawn, a panting Janice was beside her. Boxes were swirling around them, but they managed to find a small niche where the trajectories couldn't touch them. It wouldn't be for long, though. Both girls looked up wide-eyed at the hovering ghost in front of Aidan — Janice's was more in fear, while Judy's was more in wonder.

"Aidan!" shouted Janice. "Get James and come into the house! I've called the police already! Hurry!" She scooped up the small girl after seeing an incoming danger aimed at her position.

"I'm trying!" grunted Aidan as he pulled out his left shoe, took aim, and threw it at the Box Ghost. It missed.

Unfortunately, the effort did not go unnoticed by the ghost, because he, with a smirk on his face, activated his telekinesis and made the shoe alongside with other objects surrounding them levitate. The ghost lifted his arms and the objects (shoe, heavy and light boxes, shrapnel of woods and glasses) shot toward the boy.

.

A black-and-white blur suddenly lifted Aidan up and effectively prevented him from being a human shish kebab. Phantom dropped the boy near his sisters and turned toward the Box Ghost.

"Can't say I'm happy to see ya', Boxy! I don't have time to spar, so I'm asking you nicely now. Go back to the Ghost Zone or I'll make you!"

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.05 p.m.**

**Danny, Sam, and Tucker were walking to the school. The sound of the school bell ringing could be heard in the distance.**

" **Seriously, Danny," Tucker complained, "Ever since you got the invitation, you're all about the 'in' crowd."**

" **Come on, Tuck, it's ridiculous," said Danny, chuckling. He stopped when he saw Kwan talking to Valerie. "Kwan!" exclaimed the boy with a raised fist. "Looking good!"**

**Kwan responded in kind, "Fentonmeister! Woo-hoo!"**

Many in the audience chuckled seeing the display.

"Ah, a pity he isn't here," sighed Kwan, smiling. He suddenly snapped his fists in the air like his TV counterpart. "Fentonmeister's awesome!" Dash and many other students followed his example, cheering and laughing out loud.

Convulsing with laughter, Tucker managed to say, "Danny Fentonmeister's just gonna _love_ his new fanboys!"

"That's why you have to tell him, Tuck," said Sam, smirking.

" **He's right, Danny," Sam said, "It's like—"**

" **Hey! Fenton!" Dash called out. He was standing with two other jocks, Dale and Steve. "Come here!"**

**Danny immediately ran over to them.**

**Sam sighed. "…we're not even here…"**

"Danny's kinda a jerk in this one," muttered Nathan. He seemed heartbroken seeing Danny's less-than-noble actions the more they got into the show.

"Actually, this isn't his jerkiest act—" Sam shoved Tucker with an elbow.

"Oh, give him a break!" she snapped, "He's only human. I'm sure you have the cleanliest record around, Lester."

Nathan threw his hands up in a placating gesture. "Um…no, no…Sam, that's not what–what I meant!"

"Yeah, Manson, stop getting salty when your _perfect_ boyfriend is not so perfect after all." Dale laughed derisively.

Sam growled. "Dumbass, I never said Danny's perfect."

"Y-yeah! S-stop it, Dale," quipped Nathan. Sam stared at him surprised.

Dale's response was a snort. From a couple of seats in front of him, Dash was struggling to contain his rage.

**Dash turned to face Danny. "If you're coming to my party, you have to look the part." He gave an edition of _Jock's Quarterly_ to the shorter boy. "This is what we're all wearing Saturday, very high-end, very hip, very Dash."**

**In the cover, there were two boys wearing low-slung bottoms, jackets, topless caps, and chain necklaces. "You do have one right?" asked Dash, referring to the outfit.**

" **Huh? Uh–yeah! Oh–sure." Danny chuckled. "I–I have two. T–That's how hip and high-end I am, huh…"**

"Listen up, kids!" Lancer bellowed, gazing at the stunned faces before him. "This is not a case of exemplary behavior. I'm sure Daniel Fenton has learned his lesson by now, so I don't want you making excuses for lying because of what you are watching tonight. Understood?"

Several smirking students made a face.

" **Well, wear one," said Dash, pointing his index finger for emphasis. "I might've had to invite you, but if you embarrass me, your sister's gonna be doing her thesis on your bruises!" The jocks then walked away.**

"Was that threat serious, Mr. Baxter?" glowered Tetslaff.

Dash shook his head hurriedly. "N-no…"

"If I find _any_ evidence that you ever laid a hand on Mr. Fenton, I will show you the true meaning of bruises."

Mr. Lancer cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Wendy, that's not how we reprimand the students."

"Eh," she shrugged, "I don't want that boy to be a chronic man of violence." Her rather thoughtful response elicited an approval nod from Shaw, the school counselor.

**Meanwhile, Danny was staring at them as they left, crestfallen. "Oh man, this must cost a fortune!" he muttered to the approaching Sam and Tucker. "Where am I gonna get the money by Saturday?"**

**Sam looked down, before saying, "You know, I almost hate to offer—** "

" **Hey Danny!" Paulina's call interrupted. She was sitting on a picnic blanket under a tree, with a radio next to her. "You wanna hear my new CD? It's really crunk!"**

"Ah," squealed a girl who was sitting near Nathan's group. "Paulina's like, the stereotypical jealous girl who's trying to separate the main character and his romantic partner. But Danny and Sam have braved so many things together. That's like, true love!"

"Oh please," Sam muttered amid the giggles of the romance-enthusiasts.

**Danny murmured to his friends, "Is crunk good?"**

" **It's Paulina," answered Tucker.**

" **Crunk's good! Be right there!" And Danny shot through as fast as when he was flying in ghost mode. Sam and Tucker gave his retreating form a dour look.**

" **Okay!" exclaimed Sam. "This is getting really annoying."**

"It's surreal to see how much Mr. Fenton liked Miss Sanchez back then," commented Ishiyama.

"Ah," Lancer said, smiling, "That's why you need to understand their language. Who knows? It might win you some bets along the way, or as the kids say it"— he pulled out the sequel edition of " _How to Sound Hip for the Unhip"_ book, drawing an exasperated look from the woman—"it gave me three hundred bucks!"

"That's…a lot of money…" trailed off Mr. Falluca.

.

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 20.06 p.m.**

"Ghost Boy!" The Box Ghost exclaimed. "You will not stand in the way of my greatness over all things rectangular and cubical!"

Hovering in the air, Phantom gave a mock yawn. "Boring! Did you take lessons from Technus? 'Cause you seem to be a bit more mouthy than usual…Anyways…" He then shot an ecto-ray at the ghost, and the battle began.

The Box Ghost managed to evade the ray at the last second, raising one arm afterward to command the remaining 'projectiles' on the ground to attack Phantom. Phantom countered by blasting the boxes one by one to dust, expelling the ectoblasts from his index fingers like shooting a gun. The Box Ghost then charged at Phantom. However, the old trick of wrestling to the ground was already familiar to the ghost boy, as he swiftly moved to the side and delivered a punch to the gut of the ghost. The punch had enough force in it to send the other ghost reeling. Phantom then grabbed the front shirt of the ghost and slammed him to a wall. The Box Ghost looked severely dazed.

Landing among the mess on the street, Phantom undid the strap that held his thermos. "Now, for the finishing part…" He opened the lid, and sucked the other ghost inside. The ghost boy sighed and muttered to himself, "At least something's going right tonight."

There was a sound of cheering behind him, and Phantom looked around to see the teenage boy he saved earlier, a girl, and a little child, who was giving her toothless grin at him. He couldn't help smiling back.

.

Being face to face, Aidan understood now why people couldn't connect Danny Fenton with the elusive ghost hero in front of him. Phantom looked, well… _supernatural_ was the first thing that came into mind. He had a seemingly untouchable ghostly aura around him, and the way he only slightly hovered above the asphalted street was hardly human-like. There was nothing to aid the massive jump the mind had to make in order to connect a high-schooler in Casper High to this powerful specter, except for that moment in the North Pole when Danny Phantom revealed himself to the world. When that happened, Aidan had talked excitedly to his family — and anyone who'd listen to him — that he knew Danny Fenton _personally_ , as his junior who shared similar interest in astronomy. He'd even known that Danny wanted to be an astronaut in the future. That was the story retold and retold again to Judy in particular, who ate it up like a bedtime fairy tale.

Nevertheless, he found himself at loss of words to say, and Judy practically beat him to it.

"Danny Phantom!" she squealed, tears already forgotten. Judy then ran to the ghost boy and virtually tackled him in a hug. Phantom looked really shocked as he caught the girl.

"Judy!" Janice gasped. She looked absolutely mortified.

Phantom chuckled nervously, trying to disengage himself from the surprisingly tight hug of the small girl. Judy kept holding on to him, however, and buried her head on his stomach. "Hey…hey…"

"You're cold!" gasped the girl, looking up at the half-ghost.

Phantom's chuckles turned into laughter. "Well yeah, I'm a ghost you see."

"Uh huh," Judy shook her head, her two pony tails swinging. "You're not just'a ghost!"

The ghost boy glanced at the teenagers nearby, eyes dancing with amusement. He raised one eyebrow at the girl. "Pretty sure I'm a ghost, I'm afraid. What else do you think I am?"

"Ghosts are bad! Like–like—" she turned her head around to look at the boxes scattered around, her eyes scrunched up as she tried to remember.

"Boxy?" Phantom supplied.

"Yeah!" Judy chirped happily, "Jus' like Boxy! You're a hero! Like sup–superman, but realer!" the girl finished, stammering a bit at the three-syllable word. Phantom looked oddly touched hearing that. He was staring at Judy with wide glowing green eyes.

The girl prattled on obliviously, "Ai'an says so. He says he go to school with you. I don't wanna wait 'till I'm in school! 'Cuz I wanna meet you every day!"

"Ai'an?"

"That would be me," Aidan stepped forward. "Hi Phantom! I'm Aidan, but you probably remember me back in middle school, Danny Fenton." He grinned.

Phantom smiled, recognition seemed to dawn on his face. "Aidan O'Neal! Whoa, it's been a long time." He moved to shake the boy's hand, but Judy stubbornly stayed hugging him. "Um…"

"C'mere, Jude. Let Danny Phantom go, baby," said Janice. While she tried to pull Judy's arm gently, she smiled shyly at Danny. "I'm Aidan's sister, Janice. We've never met 'cause I had to go to another school, but I've heard a lot about you. Judy! Come!"

"Don't wanna," whined the girl.

Janice gave an apologetic look at Phantom. "I'm truly sorry for my sister…"

"Nah, it's okay. She probably just misses her teddy bear," he grinned. "Just let me adjust my grip, okay?" said Phantom to Judy, before he carefully disentangled himself — a bit of phasing was required — and lifted the girl up so that her arms rested on his shoulders and he could properly use his legs.

Feeling the difference in height, Judy squealed excitedly. "Wanna fly! Wanna fly!"

"Of course you want that, don't you?" said Phantom, humoring the girl.

"Yeah!"

Aidan was helping the confused James stand up. "You sure you don't have concussion, bro?"

"I'm sure," said James, rolling his eyes when he saw Aidan was trying to engage him in a "guess the number" game. "That's a three, and no, there's no halo effect, and yes, I can see clearly thank you very much."

"No harm in making sure," Aidan shrugged. He saw Phantom, Judy, and Janice walking over.

"I'm sorry," said the ghost boy remorsefully, "I should've been earlier but I was kinda preoccupied doing something else…which I should continue doing again right now."

"Ah, Danny, it's just a bad fluke that an evil ghost attacked us."

Gaping in disbelief, James stared wonderingly at Aidan who treated Phantom like an old friend. Was his bluff true all along?

"But I wanna fly," Judy was pouting when Phantom moved to put the girl back on the ground.

"I'm really sorry," began Phantom, "There's something really important that I need to do."

"Dude, come on, chill out a bit," said a grinning Aidan. "She's been waiting to meet you since forever!"

"Yeah, but—"

"Our dad is also sick so we could really do with some help cleaning up this mess. We haven't even taken a photo yet. Ya' know, for old time's sake."

Phantom took one look at Aidan (and Judy)'s hopeful faces and blanched. He sighed. "Oh well, it doesn't hurt to delay it a bit I suppose, but only because there's cleaning to be done." He stared evenly at Aidan, "And please, no picture."

.

**Foley's Residence, 20.06 p.m.**

Maddie picked up her note, looking at the list of things she wanted to discuss with her son. "I have to ensure that Danny's really learned to appreciate Sam and Tucker better." She glanced apologetically at Angela.

"Maddie," assured Angela, "I'm sure he has. You can see clearly that it shows in his actions. A friendship like that lasts for a lifetime."

"I have one big question," said Maurice. "If Danny likes being 'in crowd'"—Maurice made the quote-unquote gesture as he pronounced the teenage slang—"then why's Phantom camera shy?"

Jazz perked up. "Hmm, could it be that he has dissociative identity disorder?" she hypothesized. "I sometimes suspect Danny having that."

"Maybe," Jack boomed in, "Danny-boy realizes that it isn't what he wants, and tries to avoid doing that again?"

Everyone looked at Jack, mildly surprised.

"Dad, that's very insightful," said Jazz softly.

"Well, I see a lot of myself in ma' boy. We often screw up, but then we fix things up. I wish I'd seen it in Danny sooner," explained Jack with a proud smile.

**The scene faded in back to Fentonworks. Jack and Maddie were tinkering with yet another invention — this one whirred loudly and trembled when Maddie activated it. Jazz looked up from the book she was reading, and stared at it anxiously.**

" **Mom, what are you making?"**

" **Hot dogs!"**

**Jack also explained, "We invented a way to cook them ten time faster than a microwave."**

Maurice made an appreciative sound. "So where can I buy it?"

"Well," Maddie began, rather sheepishly, "It kinda needs some more inventing."

"Why?"

The Fentons gestured at the screen.

**There was a 'ding' sound, just like when a microwave finished cooking. Maddie opened the hatch to reveal sizzling hot dogs inside.**

A weird sound was heard. Jack and Maurice looked at their respective bellies in surprise before chuckling.

"Gentlemen, you had your dinner," Angela said, crossing her arms.

**A second later, the hot dogs suddenly came alive and rabidly tried to claw their ways out. Maddie hurriedly slammed the hatch down.**

"On second thought, I'll pass," Maurice lamented, looking rather green, "My appetite's just committed suicide."

"That's a shame," Jack sympathized, "I'm always up for snacks if it comes back alive." He leaned in for a theatrical whisper, "There's always a chance your appetite might come back as a ghost-petite."

Jazz slowly put her pen and note down, and did a face palm.

" **Great, you figured out how to put the 'frank' back in 'Frankenstein'," on-screen Jazz muttered.**

**Danny walked in and approached his dad. "Hey Dad, can you spare me some cash? I–I need to buy some clothes for Saturday?"**

" **Danny, Danny, Danny," Jack replied, "You know as inventors, your mother and I have plenty of money."**

" **But as parents, we understand that _you_ should understand the value of money." Maddie rubbed her fingers together. "You want money, you gotta earn it."**

"Yes, especially if he was using it to buy that gaudy outfit," commented Maddie. "Seriously, kids these days and their fashion sense."

"At least we were born in the era where jumpsuits were the rave!"

"They _are_ still fashionable, honey," she said to Jack.

"Too true, my dear wife!"

The Foleys snickered seeing the interaction.

" **You mean, get a job?" asked Danny incredulously.**

**Jack said, "That or sell something, like your old comic books and some other junk you don't need."**

"Danny will never ever sell his comic books," said Jazz. "He won't even lend them to anyone."

" **Speaking of which," interrupted Maddie. She pointed at two boxes of broken lab equipments and inventions, some green goo intermingling with them. "That junk from the Ghost Weasel explosion needs to go in the shed, if there's room." She frowned. "That old barn hasn't been cleaned up in years."**

**Jack immediately hugged one of the boxes. "This is not junk! Every single item in these boxes is of vital importance to me."**

"My younger self spoke the truth!" Jack narrowed his eyes at Maddie, who then rolled her eyes.

"So, Danny's is his comic book, while Jack's is the lab parts," Maurice said, grinning. "I'm keeping a tally from now on."

Jack beamed.

**Maddie grabbed one shapeless metal invention from the box. "Do you even know what this is?"**

**Jack narrowed his eyes. "Not a clue." He grabbed the unknown invention. "But I know it's important so it's off to the shed!" He dropped the box in Danny's hands.**

**The screen faded out.**

"Somehow I have the feeling those glowing green stuff would be important. Those were the residue of Technus—did I get the name right?—the ghost at the beginning?" Maurice had his 'thinking face' on.

"That's a bit weird," said Jack, joining in the speculation. "When Danny and I cleaned up the shed, there was no green stuff at all."

"When did you finally clean it up?"

"Two–uh, no…Three?" He scratched his jaw reminiscing. "Three weeks after that day, I think."

"Yes…that's weird."

Maddie smiled in approval. "At least you boys finally cleaned up the shed after all."

**It was night time when Jack and Danny brought the boxes to the shed. The interior was clearly messy and stocked with loads of things. Danny put down his box on top of another, while Jack straight up dropped his without a care.**

Maddie glared at her embarrassed husband.

**Jack looked around. "You know, maybe I should get rid of this junk." He, however, dusted off his hands and walked away. "Ah well, that's a job for another day."**

Maddie sighed and shook her head, discreetly smiling at the same time.

**Danny was the last to go, so he had to turn the switch off. He paused when he got to the door.**

" **Saturday's another day…" He turned off the light and shut the door. The camera moved to show the boxes they'd just dropped. The 'junk' inside was glowing ominously.**

"Uh oh," Angela mumbled as she threw a cautious glance at the Fentons. They had a confused expression at first, before Danny's words registered fairly quickly in their prodigious brains.

"Could someone tell us that Danny wasn't doing what I think he was doing?" Maddie asked with some sort of a choked voice.

"Maddie, they were still there three weeks afterward. Our son must not have been serious, right?" Jack said.

Jazz was uncertain. "For your information, he did buy that unsightly outfit. Something's going on."

The answer, obviously, could only be found after they watched a little bit more. Therefore, the Fentons stared at the TV intensely and watched.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.08 p.m.**

" **Saturday's another day…" He turned off the light and shut the door. The camera moved to show the boxes they'd just dropped. The 'junk' inside was glowing ominously.**

Tucker raised his eyebrows. "Well, well, well. That sound effect, the dramatic lighting—Danny could look rather villainy when you think about it."

"Tucker, this is gonna dig past mistakes," said Sam, rubbing her knuckles on her eyes. "What in the world are they trying to accomplish? We don't even know who 'they' are."

"Yeah, Danny's kinda a dick on this one though, so he kinda deserves it. He won't mind anyway."

"Doesn't matter whether or not he minds. Okay, tonight's his turn. How do you feel if tomorrow is yours? Some secrets should be left to die, Tuck."

"Ah, bummer," Tucker winced as he remembered his cruddy moments. "You don't think they'll show that King Tuck thing, right?"

Sam shrugged.

**There was a time skip to Saturday, where Danny, Sam, and Tucker were shown holding a sort of a garage sale.**

" **It's a perfectly good vacuum motor, Mr. Lancer. Only used once!" Danny marketed to the teacher, who took the device. "Ten bucks!"**

" **Looks to be in fine shape," said Lancer, examining it critically. He then smiled. "This should fix my Hair Hornet very nicely." He gave Danny the money.**

"Indeed," commented a frowning Mr. Lancer, remembering that peculiar incident he'd like to forget all together.

**Behind Danny, Tucker couldn't help commenting, "Hair hornet? The crazy vacuum cleaner slash hair clipper they sell on TV? Don't you need hair for that?"**

Tetslaff guffawed loudly. "Foley, there are some questions you shouldn't have asked."

Lancer harrumphed.

" **Good one, Mister Foley. I'll remember that on Monday, when I'm grading tests." Lancer walked away.**

"Thank golly goodness you didn't answer that, eh Will?" Again, it was Tetslaff speaking. "No traumatizing little children for tonight!"

"I get it," growled the English teacher, red-faced. "Now you might as well stop saying it. _The Canterbury Tales_ ," he cursed.

Everyone looked perplexed.

**Sam handed Danny some money. "Just sold the toaster," she explained, "You know, I'm surprised your dad's letting you sell off all these stuff. He's such a pack rat."**

" **Yeah, well he's been…planning on getting rid of these junk for a long time. He won't even miss it…..I hope."**

Dale smirked, tutting to himself.

**Tucker was lounging in a laid back chair. He opened a sun reflector. "I'm pleased with the turnout today. We're doing a really brisk business."**

**Danny counted the money. "I'm still twenty bucks short of what I need for those sweats!"**

" **You're…still welcome to hang with us tonight," offered Sam, "Mega-movie marathon at my place."**

" **Your place?" Danny chuckled. "Wow. You never invited us to your place before."**

"Now we go there too often that I'm starting to get bored of your bowling alley," Tucker said quietly to Sam, grinning.

Sam sighed contentedly, secretly remembering the nights when Danny would visit her during the last two weeks. They were just talking about anything and nothing, of course, but Sam had come to enjoy it very much at this stage.

" **That's because we're usually fighting ghosts with you," she answered. "I've figured it's time—"**

" **Hey, Fentina!" Dash yelled. Danny left his friends and ran to him.**

"Wow, he didn't mind being called 'Fentina'? What ever happened to that Fenton?" commented Star to Dash.

Dash smiled guiltily.

"— **for you to totally ignore me for about the billionth time this week," finished Sam.**

Many sent the girl sympathetic looks.

" **Jazz has given me so much extra schoolwork that my computer's overloaded," Dash grumbled, "Got anything to make it work?"**

" **Oh sure do!" Danny picked up two packages. "This motherboard and this Portals XL operating system will make it work like it's brand new!"**

**Dash stared at the products.**

" **Twenty bucks takes it all, and I'll even throw in this upgrade disk," Danny offered enthusiastically, holding up another disk.**

Several girls giggled to themselves, making Sam's sensitive fangirl-sensor go overdrive. The goth crossed her arms and started shooting death glares to her targets.

Meanwhile, the school's computer teacher blinked in surprise. "I get what you mean," he said to Lancer. "Foley's a sure talent, but Fenton has some hidden talents."

"One of them is being very good at hiding things," muttered Lancer back.

" **Done," agreed the jock, "See you tonight, and just because I can't believe I'm saying it"—he poked Danny in the chest for emphasis—"I'll say it again. See you tonight." Before he left, he threw the dollar bill to Danny, who caught it with a smile.**

" **Twenty bucks!" He threw his hands in the air. "I'm in! Oh geez, I'd better get to the mall before the shops close."**

**Danny jumped back to Sam and Tucker. "You guys don't mind cleaning up for me, do ya'? Great, see ya'!" And he ran off.**

**Sam crossed her arms. "So now we're his clean-up crew, too?" She looked at Tucker to find him gone.**

" **See you tonight," called Tuck from a distance. Sam's lackadaisical face was the closing shot.**

"Maybe we should have Fenton as an A-lister," proposed Kwan. "He really likes it."

Dash perked up and nodded vigorously. The opposite was Dale who resorted to sneering.

"Wrong," Sam corrected, "He really liked it, as in it's in the past."

"So you're his spokesperson now, Manson, in addition to his clean-up crew?" Dale interjected snidely, "Won't envy you, he's got enough junk to clean up, hasn't he?"

"What the hell is your problem, jerk?" Sam shot back at the jock, "You have a problem with Danny, then settle it down with him. Oh, what am I saying," she sneered, "you spineless little 'A-lister' won't even hold a candle to what Danny has done!"

"Please, Fenton's a wimp, a geek, and a nerd without his ghost powers." Pausing for effect, Dale continued, smirking, "Actually he's still all of that, isn't he? Just add freak to the combination."

"Mr. Snyder, this is your second warning!" barked Lancer. The teachers had angry looks on their faces.

"I'm exercising my rights to freedom of speech, sir," Dale said innocently.

Tucker grabbed Sam's arms to prevent her from doing anything rash, because the girl had gotten so pale with anger. Suddenly, a crunch was heard. Students started to stand up from their seats to see better.

Dash smirked as he held up a bloody fist, while Dale was on the ground clutching his broken nose. The teachers gasped in outrage.

"Detention, Mr. Baxter!"

Dash grinned. "Worth it!" He sat back down, and for once, people could see why he could claim to be the 'king of Casper High'.

.

**Eastern Air Corridor, Amity Park, 20.09 p.m.**

Following Operative K's direction, Operative O and L flew clumsily above the city. The three agents were using the government's limited invisibility suits — or what they commonly called as ghost suits — that they managed to procure from the headquarters. Their method of procurement shall remain morally ambiguous for the moment.

K was leading with a ghost radar. "Agents, we need to hasten. This one ghost seems to be approaching two other dots."

"Two other dots?" O questioned through the headphones. "Those equal two other ghosts?"

"Yes, it's going east."

"Rick," L addressed K. "Three ghosts in our sight might also mean an ambush. Are you sure—"

"—Your intellectual commentary is currently not accepted, Agent L," growled K.

They gradually lowered down to an area with dense urban block. The dots in their radar were no longer three, but only two — one was approaching the other slowly.

"We should follow our target," murmured O.

Activating the invisibility function, the three agents stealthily followed their target, who turned out to be none other than Skulker. They silently prayed that their suits' energy would not run out before they could achieve their objective.

.

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 20.09 p.m.**

"Higher please!"

"What? This isn't high enough for you?"

Aidan grinned with a great degree of amusement as he watched his little sister flying around with the ghost hero. They were only circling the surrounding area as per Janice's request. Judy was living her dream, and the siblings were quite glad to see her happy. It was kind of cute.

They had finally managed to clean up the mess on the street. It was mostly boxes scattered around, so Phantom had delighted them by burning the paper mess with his plasma energy. The rest was a quick process. There was also a hilarious moment when Judy spotted her Phantom plush — that she had thrown at the Box Ghost earlier. Phantom had blushed so hard and looked incredibly uncomfortable, that Aidan was able to see the Fenton in him. James and Janice were also finally at ease around the ghost boy. They had a great time together, _something to tell more people about_ , Aidan thought happily, _who's gonna believe that, huh?_

A slight discharge of air pressure signaled the duo's landing. Phantom carefully put the giggling girl on the ground. Judy's hair was wind-swept, and she looked like she was on one of her sugar high episodes. Janice ran to grab her hand.

"Thank you so much! I've never seen her this happy since Dad got sick," said Janice, smiling.

Phantom rubbed the back of his neck, looking flustered. "Oh yeah, it's no problem at all."

"Now she can stop bothering poor Aidan to lift her up and play pretend airplane," James joined in from his spot, leaning against the fence. "Right, Judykins?"

Judy pouted, as she looked a bit put off that her flight ended too soon. "I'mma ask Jamsie to go flyin'!" She stuck her tongue out.

James scowled mockingly and rolled his eyes.

Aidan saw Phantom looking gradually uncomfortable by the seconds, but he did not want him to leave yet. He hadn't got the picture he was going to show to his friends as proof. "Hey, Danny, are you still on that astronomy stuff?"

"Well, I—" Danny cut himself off just as the ringing of a phone was heard. "Oh, it's mine," he said to the siblings. He pulled out his phone and walked away a bit to check the call.

It was his mom.

Danny threw a glance at the siblings who were watching with interest, and then he turned away from them. He pressed answer, because you just couldn't ignore a mother's phone call.

" _Danny."_

"Uh…Mom? This isn't important, right? 'Cause I'm kinda," he glanced at the siblings who started to creep him out because they were watching his every move, "doing some other things right now."

" _Can it wait, sweetie? Because your father wants to talk to you and no amount of fudge's been able to tell him otherwise."_

Danny inhaled sharply. That was practically a code that something was a problem, a _big_ problem. Fudge was _always_ effective to handle Dad. If it wasn't, then…

"What did the TV just show you?"

" _Aren't you supposed to be watching at Casper, honey?"_

"Um no… I said, I'm doing some other things right now. So Mom, on a scale one to Dad sucking the house into a parallel dimension, how much trouble am I in?"

" _That's just one time and everyone can't let it go!"_ Danny's eyes widened hearing his dad's voice over the line. _"Son, how about lying straight to my face when you were selling my important lab stuff behind my back?"_

"Oh," he breathed, "Dad, everything actually went bust after that, and I–I returned everything back into place. I also gave the refund money for everyone!"

" _Just because the consequences could be reversed back, the fact still remains that what you did is bad, Danny. I want you to understand that."_

Danny sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? I kinda got my butt kicked after that."

" _Did you also apologize to Sam and Tucker?"_ It was one of the few times when Danny could only detect his father's seriousness in a prolonged conversation.

"Yeah, I did. It's in the past, and I'd like to think that I…that I've grown up a little bit since then. Hey Dad, are you _that_ mad at me?"

" _I'm not mad, son. I'm just…disappointed."_

Somehow, the words struck Danny harder than he anticipated.

" _Danny-boy?"_

"PHANTOM!"

Danny whipped his head around faster than humanly possible, to see Skulker. The mechanical ghost was standing at one end of the street, several big guns were already extended from his battle suit. They were aimed at him.

"Whelp! My secret's shown to the ghost world and I have you to blame. Prepare to die!" Skulker's voice sounded oddly distorted. Danny thought it was from the ghost's senseless anger.

"Secret? Dude, I'm also the victim here!" He inconspicuously made sure that the humans were in a safe distance. Danny took a battle stance. "Why does everyone like to blame me for something I don't even know?"

"Insolent whelp! I will exhibit your pelt for all the world to see!"

A small missile was fired from one of the big guns.

.

**.**

In a discreet place, K quietly lay in wait. Beside him, O pulled out a rectangular metal device. Something resembling a gearshift was inside it. He offered the device to K.

"You have the honor."

K grinned and shifted the lever.

.

.

Phantom had already activated a strong energy shield in his hands, and was completely certain that neither the direct impact nor the backlash would affect the O'Neal siblings.

Then, everything seemed to slow down in time.

He could feel the horror rising within him while he watched the missile suddenly changing direction, doing a nearly perpendicular rotation. The O'Neal house was now in its direct path.

.

.

There was an explosion.

.

.

**To be continued in "The First to Fall" a.k.a. Attack of the Killer Garage Sale Part II.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:  
> So, what do you think?
> 
> To be honest, this chapter is a bit of a challenge to write. I'm trying to keep the shoehorning minimum, especially with the watching scenes and action scenes running together. I have no idea whether the format is successful or not. I'd be glad to hear some reviews from you on this.  
> There are some moments in the show which are obviously meant for comic relief. In the context of this fic, I have quite a struggle to provide a sound explanation behind each. Case for example is Jack's obliviousness. Even after days of perusing the wiki and other episodes, I'm still not sure I truly get the man. That scene is also my first experiment using flashback writing. I hope it won't come across as too jarring to read.


	10. The First to Fall

**Chapter 10: The First to Fall**

**.**

**.**

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 20.10 p.m.**

After being Phantom, Danny quickly learned there were moments in life when he just had to act. There was no time to spare between these moments because those precious nano-seconds determined the choice between life and death. Against this limitation, the rational mind would move over to be replaced by the more primal instincts. As a steadfastly impulsive person, Danny had an easier time than most to just let the process happen. By choosing to trust his instincts, he had never been faced with the ultimate consequence – death. The one time he almost did, he was miraculously given a second chance.

_But second chances don't happen twice, do they?_

Those were Danny's detached thoughts as the ecto-energy shield dissipated from his hands, at the same time his body was moving toward the house and the O'Neal siblings. They were still standing on their front lawn, faces seemingly frozen in delight and surprise.

He couldn't make it.

His ghostly speed couldn't outrun the missile. It had such a head start on him. _Stupid Fenton. I'm always such a failure._

He only managed to position himself between the O'Neals and the house, another shield forming in his hands. However, it was too late. The shield never formed fully.

.

They were blasted from the impact when the missile hit the house. _Déjà vu._

.

Danny heard distant screaming. _No 'Time Out' yet?_

.

Then, blackness….

.

**Foley's Residence, 20.10 p.m.**

The phone line went dead after a thud was heard.

Jack stared at the Fenton Family Anti-Creep Phone in his hand, recently configured for their need of a private communication system. Just three days after they came home from the North Pole, Jack received an unpleasant shock when he surfed the TV channels — for one of the entertainment channels was in the middle of discussing rather extensively the past conversations their people managed to tap from the Fenton's home phone.

He, with the help of his lovely wife, managed to configure a four-way private communication between them. It was the first Fenton invention that had no direct relation to ghost. _Not true, technically Danny-boy's a ghost_ , Jack grinned inwardly at his ingenuity. Therefore, it opened up possibilities for a new line of anti-creep and Phantom-compatible Fenton ghost hunting inventions in the future.

He started to frown when his attempt to connect with Danny again was unsuccessful.

"Jack?" Maddie asked, sensing her husband's growing frustration.

The Fenton patriarch was shaking his head. "For the love of fudge, come on!" He looked like a kicked puppy.

"What happened?"

"Either this phone needs fixing again, or that boy's avoiding me," muttered Jack.

Maddie's expression softened. "Well, maybe you were too hard on him. He's right, it's in the past."

Jack pouted. "Aw, Mads. I'm just tryin' to make sure he knows it's wrong. Danno has to grow up real quick." His face became downcast. "Yeah, maybe I was too hard on him so that he dropped his phone and ended the call."

The others in the living room raised their eyebrows.

"He dropped the phone?" Jazz said. "That isn't like Danny."

Jack and Maddie exchanged unsure glances. They were not sure where to stand since they had perceived their son completely wrong in the past years.

"Poor baby. He must be so stressed and nervous tonight," said Maddie, taking a shot at speculating. "Jack, just let me talk to him when he gets home, alright?"

"Alright," said Jack with a sigh. Then, the big man suddenly brightened. "Let's watch again then! As my old college professor would say, the best way to prove an assumption is to find the hard evidence!"

The Foleys smiled as they let the scientific jargon flew over their heads.

**The scene faded in to a shot where Tucker was approaching the Manson's front door. From the exterior, it could be seen that the building resembled a mansion more than a house. Tucker extended his index finger to ring the bell.**

**After only one ring, Sam opened the door while she kept talking to her phone. "Right, that's two mediums, one pepperoni and one veggie. Put it on my tap." She closed the door.**

" **Hey, Tucker!"**

" **I hope they hustle," said Tucker, referring to the order. "I'm starved."**

"Me too," murmured Jack unconsciously. Maurice snickered.

Angela rolled her eyes and offered the men two other servings of popcorn. They received each enthusiastically.

**Just after Tucker said so, the bell rang for the second time. Sam grabbed the door open.**

" **Here's your pizza, Sam," said a grinning delivery boy.**

" **Thanks Nate," Sam said, receiving the boxes and pulling out a bill.**

" **Ten bucks!" Nate said, delighted. "Thanks, Sam." He left and Sam closed the door.**

Maurice and Angela gasped.

"Ten bucks? Sam probably made a mistake," commented Maurice.

"That's a waste of money," Angela said.

Maddie coughed, "Um…considering the Mansons' exquisite limo last night, I personally am not completely surprised."

**Tucker gave Sam a confused look. "You tipped the guy a ten-spot?"**

" **Oops, sorry," smiled Sam. "I thought it was a one. Come on, we're watching movies downstairs." She walked past Tucker.**

"Oh dear," said Angela with a chuckle. "I detect a lie."

Maurice leaned forward, getting more interested.

**Sam and Tucker walked downstairs to a huge theater-like room, complete with plush chairs, big screen, as well as popcorn and soda machines. She placed the pizza boxes near those machines. Tucker walked forward with a gaping mouth.**

" **This is your downstairs?"**

" **What, too much?"**

"Damn!" exclaimed Maurice, cackling up. The others also chuckled.

" **Uh huh," said Tucker, still unable to believe his eyes.**

" **I know. I should have told you and Danny this a long time ago, but my family's kinda…filthy rich." Sam let out a cough. "Weird, huh?"**

"But, why?" asked Angela, confused. "Why would she hide that?"

"Modesty?" inquired Maddie.

Angela shook her head. "Modesty is one thing. Isn't it weird that even her closest friends did not know that? Moreover, Tucker, Danny, and Sam have been friends for a long time. We, as parents, haven't even known the Mansons that well – not as well as we've known each other at least."

" **Whoa, time out!" Tucker exclaimed. "You're loaded?"**

" **Um…my great granddad, Izzy was an inventor. He invented that machine that twirls cellophane around deli toothpicks."**

**Tucker jumped into one of the seats. "You're the deli toothpick cellophane-twirling heiress? No way!"**

"Izzy Manson is actually related to the Mansons!" Angela said with wide eyes. "I thought they only shared the same last name by coincidence, because 'Manson' is quite common after all."

The Fentons were the ones who looked lost this time.

"So they're richer than you—and we expected," Maddie acknowledged. "But we've already sort of known that since Danny and Tucker became Sam's friends. What's so special about Izzy Manson?"

Maurice answered, "Izzy Manson, also known by his formal name Isaac Manson, was one of the most influential inventors in the dawn of the twentieth century. The thing about him is that he wasn't much of an inventor, but a brilliant businessman who successfully maneuvered his ways around big name inventors at that time." Seeing that he got his audience captivated, Maurice continued in a theatrical whisper, "Some said his connections included Thomas Edison, but obviously…there were some opposing rumors as well."

"Today, his legacy is a company which—I assume—the Mansons are operating," continued Angela, her face was thoughtful. "No wonder Jeremy and Pamela have never stated outright the company they are working at. I just…never would've guessed it would be Cellodynamics Corporations!"

The elder Foleys waited for some surprised reactions from the other family, but the Fentons only looked at them blankly.

"This is big!" Maurice said, waving his arms.

"Uh, Mr. Foley," Jazz began, "I know that CC has a good standing in the deli toothpick machinery and other small packaging business. I still don't understand what the big deal is about it other than the fact that Sam's rich."

"Exactly!" nodded Jack. He and Maddie were not exactly knowledgeable in the non-ghost-related sector of the economy.

Angela explained with a wry smile on her face. "Well, it's very unlikely that someone could get rich that fast by selling the deli toothpick cellophane twirling machinery alone, no matter the royalties. Like Maurice said, Izzy the man was a brilliant businessman. There were some"—Angela paused, unsure—"suspicions that the toothpick cellophane sales were just a smokescreen."

"So that means—"

"—The Mansons won't like it if their business is brought into spotlight."

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.11 p.m.**

" **L-look, if this is too much for you, we can do something else," Sam offered as she opened one of the pizza boxes.**

**Tucker grinned. "Are you kidding?"**

At this time, Sam was getting more and more uncomfortable as people stared and gaped at her. The teachers were the only ones who did not look surprised.

"What?" she snapped.

Star spoke out, "All this time, you can actually buy those beautiful designer clothes and hang out with us! But you didn't. Why?"

Sam narrowed her eyes. "What the heck is the matter with my current clothes, DeLisle?" she growled. "That's exactly why I don't ever want to hang out with you."

"No!" exclaimed Star hurriedly, looking immensely embarrassed. "I–I just think you can have any boy you want, Manson, if you use that money the right way."

"Are you saying that I should 'hook up' with some gold diggers?" retorted Sam haughtily.

"Not that, too! I mean you can buy, like, tons of make-up and dresses! You can also like, have a date at the top of the Eiffel!"

Tucker waved a hand to get Sam's attention. "Just let it go," he said quietly. "It's hard to deprogram a victim of Paulina's brainwashing."

Sam sighed. Her anger at being called essentially ugly and not 'in-trend' abated. Instead, she looked at Star with pity. "Trust me, Star, make-up and dresses won't win you true friends. I have Danny and Tucker – and that's all I need. Besides," Sam smiled rather mischievously, "the skyline of Amity Park is better than the Eiffel Tower anyway."

The romance-enthusiasts, with a particular emphasis on one Nathan Lester, erupted into oohs and aahs. Meanwhile, the rest of the students chuckled.

"Hey! Who said you can take notes?" said Sam to the random giggling girls who were inexplicably writing her words down. Her stern glare was enough to deter these girls.

**The scene made a sudden change to show William Lancer in one of his private moments. It was inside the bathroom of the English teacher. Lancer himself was looking appreciatively at the mirror.**

Lancer promptly choked on a mouthful of popcorn. Mr. Falluca patted his back absentmindedly, his eyes still caught by the screen.

Tetslaff grinned in anticipation.

**The on-screen Lancer held up the vacuum motor he'd bought from Danny. Its end was connected to a razor. "I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night than with a back-saving"—he pulled his shirt down to reveal a back full of thick hair—"jamboree."**

There was a silence, sans for the audible whimpers of the English teacher.

"EW, DISGUSTING!" Dale shouted, before breaking into fits of laughter. That seemed to break the silence as the room was suddenly filled with gales of laughter. Some students even burst into hysterical tears.

Tetslaff surprised herself because she was torn between wanting to laugh and being sympathetic to her humiliated colleague. Her sympathy eventually won out when she heard Lancer's murmurs of "By _Titus Andronicus_ , just kill me now."

"Come now, William. There's no need to be over-dramatic. Everyone's got a good laugh or two."

Lancer looked up, growling. "The big mystery is how in the world AP Channel had this footage? I will find out, no matter what, for myself and for poor Daniel as well."

**When Lancer turned on the razor, it suddenly glowed green. The knives stretched beyond their normal sizes, and flew up in the air.**

The laughter stopped as everyone gasped.

"It wasn't supposed to do that, was it?" muttered Kwan.

Dash muttered back, "No shit."

**Lancer struggled to gain control of the razor, but he couldn't. The razor and its cable continued to fly up, before it suddenly dove down and attacked the teacher.**

The teachers made various sounds of dismay while glancing at the smiling Vice Principal. The attention almost made him feel vindicated of the unfairness he experienced at that night.

**When the razor was done with its attack, it left through the windows, breaking the glass and leaving Lancer's back hair in the shape of a hash. The teacher stared at its leaving form, confused.**

"I'm starting to see your point, Sam," said Tucker, guffawing. "Too much information is too much!"

"He looked like a turtle," said an amused Sam.

Tucker and Sam thankfully managed to contain their chuckles.

**As the flying razor flew off-screen, the perspective moved to show a scooter being ridden down the street. The rider was none other than Danny Fenton. He had the recently-bought high-end sweats hanging from an arm.**

" **Popularity, here I come!"**

**Suddenly, Danny's ghost sense acted up, making the boy gasp. From the other end of the street, the flying razor came at Danny with high speed, intending to shave his head off but only managing to throw Danny's helmet off. Danny stopped his scooter quickly and stared at it in panic.**

**He ducked to avoid the razor's second lunge, but the cable of the machine had wrapped itself around his waist, catching the boy and forcefully lifting him up to the air. Danny continued to evade the razor's continued attacks. At one point, he finally managed to catch the cord between his feet. However, the razor continued to tug hard and lunge at Danny.**

" **Whoa! Whoa!" I–I just got my hair the way I like it! On my head!"**

The suspense dissipated as many people snorted against their wills.

**The razor suddenly turned into a huge blade. It hovered over Danny and was preparing itself to go straight at him.**

" **And I'm way too young to shave!"**

Ishiyama chuckled, "This boy is really something."

"There's a fantastically freaky flying razor attacking him, and what did he do? Trying to reason with it, of course," said Lancer in his driest voice.

The teachers who were in the hearing vicinity broke into laughter.

Many students leaped out of their seats and cheered as **Danny on-screen shouted his battle cry, "Goin' ghost!"**

**The now ghostly boy immediately escaped from the rope by turning his lower end into a tail. He flew away just as the blade slammed into the ground.**

" **Okay!" Phantom crossed his arms in a 'no' gesture, "It's a hair-cut, not a head-cut!"**

People were once again pulled out of their immersion due to the hilarity of Danny's words.

"Cheesy Danny is cheesy!" Tucker choked, holding his sides and doubling over. Sam chuckled seeing his silly antics. She glanced up at the image of her boyfriend with a rare tender look on her face.

**Phantom immediately flew down and punched the attacking razor away. It bounced off the street and looked the worse for wear, but it was relentless. It transformed into a giant pair scissors, and tried to cut the ghost boy into two.**

People unconsciously winced.

**However, Phantom split himself in half and elongated his midsection. He also managed to grab onto the cord of the scissors. The ghost scissors and the ghost boy flew rapidly through a building, breaking several windows along the way. When they came out of the other side of the building, Phantom finally managed to halt their progression.**

**Then, he quickly twisted the cord in several spins, until there was enough momentum to let it go and let the scissors sail through the air. It disappeared in the distance.**

"That was awesome!" Dash pumped his fist to the air. Many people exclaimed their agreements as well.

"Fanboy," coughed Dale not-so-politely.

Star, who heard that, mockingly coughed back, "Jerkass." Seeing that, Dash flashed her a grin.

**Up in the air, Danny spotted the sweats lying on the middle of the street, while a car was heading down toward it. He gasped and quickly flew down to grab the outfit, just before the car ran it over.**

**Holding up the saved sweats, he smiled. However, Danny spotted a glowing stray cord which was most likely a left-over from his previous fight against the razor. Phantom changed back to Fenton.**

" **I know I should be concerned, and I will be, right after the party." Danny climbed into his scooter again and took off.**

The crowd let out various noises of disappointment.

"That wouldn't end well," murmured Nathan who tried to curb his disappointment.

Mikey stared at him. "Honestly, Nate, if I was Danny Phantom, I would've gone on my personal business and cared nothing about attacking shaving tools, let alone the town!" said the boy in Danny's defense.

Nathan's mouth split into a small smile.

**Back at Sam's house, Tucker and Sam were apparently still laying around and not watching any movie. The reason was because Tucker's insistence on interrogating Sam.**

" **Tucker, are we watching movies or not?" Sam asked impatiently.**

" **Okay, okay, just a few more questions. Could you buy a plane?"**

" **Yep."**

" **A yacht?"**

" **Yep."**

" **Um…a bowling alley?"**

" **Nope." The goth pulled out a remote and pressed a conspicuous red button. The wall behind Tucker slid upward, rightward, and leftward to reveal a bowling alley. "Um, there's no place to put a second."**

**Tucker stared.**

"Gosh darn it, stop your staring, people!" cried out Sam in frustration. The goth looked close to wringing some unfortunate necks.

Tucker had to hold back his chuckles seeing Sam getting more admiring — as well as jealous for some — looks. Sometimes their lives were truly surreal. He had his brother-in-all-but-blood saving the town daily before breakfast, and he had his other best friend Sam talking about buying a plane like it was nothing. Tucker wondered what his worth was compared to these two extraordinary people.

**From a side door in the bowling room, Sam's grandmother came on a motorized scooter. She grabbed a ball and threw through a track. She effortlessly scored a strike.**

" **Yipee!" exclaimed the grandma. "Bubbe's hot tonight!" The wall slid back close after that.**

**Tucker sniffed the air. "That's weird, because you don't smell stinkin' rich."**

"And the Foley's smelling super sense never failed before," moaned the techno-geek. However, he winked at the chuckling Sam.

"Super sense? Tucker, you hang out with Danny too much."

"Not as much as your daily thirst with the ghost boy, isn't it, Sam?" Tucker retorted, smirking. "Or is it nightly I heard?"

"You are five-second away from getting acquainted with my boot."

"Oh crud, the abuse that I have to suffer…"

**Sam sighed. "Will you stop it? That's the whole reason I didn't tell anybody."**

" **But I don't get it," Tucker said, "With all this money, why do you hang out with me and Danny? If you flash a little of that 'bling bling', you'd be Miss Popularity!"**

" **I don't _need_ popularity, Tucker, especially not if I have to buy it," Sam answered rather bitterly.**

" **You should tell that to Danny. Can you believe people actually spent good money on that old junk from his parents' shed?"**

The people who did so in the basketball court simultaneously sighed and smiled at their stupidity. It was certainly an experience, however, seeing the 'junk' mysteriously fly away and never to be seen again. Only now they understood the full story.

" **Well, I did snag this really cool remote for three bucks," bragged Sam, holding up a suspiciously green remote control. "And he did give Dash a pretty good deal on that computer stuff."**

"Do you know what else you could snag, Manson?" beckoned Dale all of a sudden. Everyone turned to him, surprised. "…any guy in the world who's not a freak and a wanna-be superhero at that."

"Pardon?" Sam let out a low growl.

"Fenton's practically a pauper compared to you," Dale intoned airily. He had leaned back and folded his arms behind his head. "You can score a much more decent guy, with your money"— Dale paused as he eyed Sam's bare mid-riff — "and your looks."

Everyone could almost feel the anger coming off in bounds from the goth who was too overcome with ire that she was momentarily struck speechless.

Tucker stood up in outrage. "You – you take that back, Snyder! You're lucky that Danny's not here hearing your crap!"

Dale retorted smoothly, "Ah, the sidekick wants to be the hero. Really, Foley, don't you ever get tired standing in Fenton's shadow?"

Tucker flushed. "That's not—" Sam put a firm hand on Tucker's shoulder. Tucker glanced at her and saw a very fearsome smirk on his friend's face. Her eyes were glinting coldly while she held up a phone.

"You know what, Dale? You're right." Everyone gasped and looked at the girl in disbelief, including Dash who stopped mid-struggle against Kwan and Star who had each grabbed his arms. However, Sam continued, "I have the money. My family has the connections. And I'll use it to put a restraining order on you, Snyder, once and for all."

Everyone watched Sam speaking to her phone, "Hello, Bubbe? Could you please get Mr. Marvin and Mr. Richard – yes, our bodyguards"— she deliberately explained as she glanced at the paling Dale — "to come to Casper ASAP? There's a creep in need of _handling_. Thanks, Bubbe, and I love you."

Principal Ishiyama tried to control the unfolding situation. "Miss Manson—"

"Ha! Thought you would call Fenton to save you," muttered Dale loudly. Ishiyama shook her head and tutted disapprovingly at the boy.

"I would have," Sam shot back. "But Danny doesn't need to be bothered with someone unimportant like you. Plus, you don't know what Danny's like when he's mad."

Her smirk widened when she saw Dale trying to hide his gulp. Everyone, particularly the nerds, cheered at the goth's apparent victory. Only a select few and Dale's own posse remained quiet.

**The scene changed to Dash who was typing on his computer.**

" **Maybe Fenton's not such a loser after all!" He chuckled, " _As if,_ but this thing runs like a race car!" His watch beeped and displayed an alert, 'PARTY TIME'. "Whoa! Getting late! Better shower and change before the early birds show up!" He got up and left.**

Dash was staring at the screen, confused. "That was supposed to be private!"

"Welcome to our world," replied Tucker. He glanced at Lancer. "Uh...and Mr. Lancer's world, too."

**The camera zoomed in to the monitor. There were several windows left open by Dash. However, the screen suddenly turned black, and a moment afterward, the grinning face of Technus showed up digitally. A maniacal laugh echoed.**

"So that villain – Technus – was in my house?" Dash said incredulously. "Cool!"

Kwan snorted.

Every head turned when they heard the front double-doors being opened. Two black-suited men walked in. They were tall, muscular, and sporting identical 'don't-mess-with-us' expressions. One had black crew cut hair and the other had long blond hair tied up in a ponytail. They both scanned the room before zooming in at Sam.

"There he is!" Sam pointed at Dale, who recoiled in shock. "The sexual harasser!"

Dale spluttered. "The hell, Manson!? I did _not_ sexually harass you! She's lying!"

"So I just imagined your eyes leering at me earlier?" accused Sam smugly.

"That's not sexual harassment!"

"Well for me, it is! Now, what did you say about Danny earlier, Dale?" Sam had a sweet smile on her face. The bodyguards were closing in to the agitated boy.

"Mr. Snyder and Miss Manson!" Ishiyama intervened. "Let's stop this nonsense! Miss Manson, Mister Snyder has a point. In common perception, what Mr. Snyder did cannot be included as a sexual harassment. Mr. Snyder, you ought to apologize to Miss Manson or your detention will be doubled."

Dale grumbled. "Sorry, Manson." Everyone could still feel, however, that it did not sound genuine.

Sam put up a hand to instruct her bodyguards. "And what you said about Danny?"

Dale narrowed his eyes imperceptibly. "I…take it back," he muttered stiffly.

"Good." Sam gestured for the men to stand by near the front doors. The one with the ponytail raised his eyebrows, but they both complied.

.

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 20.15 p.m.**

It was a blur. The last thing she remembered was Danny Phantom flying at them incredibly quickly. He was right in front of them when the house exploded.

When the house exploded….

Janice sat up with a gasp, before panic completely overtook her. "The house!" she managed to say aloud, her voice sounded strange in her disoriented mind.

"Janice!"

"Thank God you're alright!"

She looked up to see her three other siblings, thankfully alive and looking mostly unharmed. James was already moving to kneel down next to her, his steps wobbling and his hands outstretched to check her condition.

"James! The house!" she gasped again, her eyes watering.

She was almost afraid to look, but she had to. The entire front porch was completely destroyed. A thick black smoke was rising to the sky above. There was a team of firefighters already running around. They were shouting indiscernible words to one another. The lights from the sirens provided a blinking red lighting to the scene. In the distance, Janice could see curious and scared neighbors crowding behind the safe line.

However, to Janice's jumbled mind, there was only one thing mattered. _Dad!_ Her and Judy's father, as well as the stepfather to Aidan and James, was still inside. He was sick, and had been bed-ridden for the past two years, leaving the four children to fend for themselves. The brothers had gradually detested the man due to his past history of neglect, gambling, and alcoholism — they were just lucky they could scrap enough money to keep the house. Nevertheless, for Janice, he was still her biological father.

"DAD'S INSIDE! SOMEBODY GET HIM OUT! PLEASE!" she yelled desperately. She jumped but was caught by James.

"They've tried to enter! For the last ten minutes," choked the boy. "There's nothing we can do. Nothing we can do. That's.—that's one big explosion, Jane. It's his time, I'm sorry," his eyes also watered. "They can't get into the house. Now they're preparing the hose."

"No, no, no…" she trailed off in numb disbelief. Her eyes suddenly caught the state James' right leg was in. "Your–your leg, Jamesie!"

"I'm not as bad as him." Janice averted her eyes to the direction her brother was pointing. Her mind still couldn't make sense of what was happening.

Aidan and a fireman were crouched over Phantom's prone body. They had laid him against the partially destroyed fence. He looked truly bad. She could see soot covering his whole body, while cuts of various sizes could be seen through the tears on his usually pristine suit. They oozed some greenish substance she couldn't help thinking as ghost blood. Judy's small head peeked out near Phantom's side. She was unusually quiet.

James and Janice leaned on each other in order to walk to the group. Janice was already sobbing. When they got near, Aidan and the firefighter were trying to wake Phantom up. The fireman had put one hand hesitantly on Phantom's neck.

"He's –he's also human, isn't he?" mumbled the aging man.

"I–I don't think anyone can survive that–that kind of explosion," said Aidan quietly. He looked close to crying. "He was in front of us…protecting us…"

"Kids, he's got…a pulse," whispered the man in amazement. "To know is one thing, to feel the proof…"

Janice quickly let go of James, making the boy sway and wobble, and grabbed the fireman's shoulder. "My father's inside! You have to get him out!"

"I'm sorry. My men are doing what they can."

"Well it's not enough!"

"Janice!"

"This is your fault. Aidan!" He looked up at her in shock. She was wearing the most heartbroken expression. "Dad's inside." She let out a heart-wrenching sob. "He's not dead. He's not dead, dammit!"

.

Two electric green eyes suddenly opened. Phantom involuntarily groaned, attracting the attention of the surrounding people. The fireman jumped back in surprise.

"Who's dying?" His echoing voice questioned. His eyes were surprisingly bright in intensity for someone who had just woken up from a passed-out state.

"Mr. Phantom!" The only adult in the group spoke up. "We've got a house fire. There's allegedly someone – the girl's father – inside the house, but my men have been unable to go past the front porch. I suspect there's something…um…ghostly about the fire."

A bit of Phantom's mischievousness shone through. "You don't need to address me like an officer, dude." He turned serious again. "Anyone see Skulker? There has to be something ghostly when he's involved."

"The ghost with the metal armor?" James quipped in. "He left."

Phantom narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Now about the fire," he said that as he turned to the silent fireman, "You want me to get the person out."

"No," said the wary man, he seemed to age ten years older all of a sudden. "You need to rest, and a doctor."

Phantom smiled mirthlessly. He forced himself to get up, to the consternation of the man and the surprise of the teenagers. Danny looked Janice in the eye. "I'll try to get him out." He then looked down at the little girl who had been holding his gloved hand this whole time. "I promise."

"Look, young man—" the old fireman tried to say, but Danny's resolve had been completely solidified after seeing a silver of hope flash in Judy's teary eyes. He took off toward the burning house.

In the midst of fighting the ghostly flames, the desperate firemen cried out in surprise when a black-and-white figure shot toward the house.

.

**Foley's Residence, 20.15 p.m.**

Jack was oddly contemplative as he watched the garage sale proceeding.

"Jack, honey?" asked Maddie.

"Mads, we've given a lot of our product design to the government. I didn't know that a lot of people might be interested in our stuff," he pointed at Danny who was having a big time selling Jack's 'junk'.

Maddie hummed in response, getting into her own contemplation as well.

"Ah, Jack my man, Amity's the ghost capital of the world! Of course people are interested," said an enthusiastic Maurice.

Jack threw a grin at the man.

**The scene transitioned to the Fenton's kitchen. Jazz was walking toward the fridge. She opened it, and screamed.**

Jazz giggled. In retrospect, it was funny.

Maddie turned to Jack. "Jack, why did you put those hotdogs inside the fridge? I thought I told you to decontaminate and dispose of them?"

Jack pretended not to hear his wife. Maddie shot him an exasperated, yet fond look.

**Jazz slammed the door. "Great. Leftovers."**

" **Well," Danny entered the scene, wearing his high-end sweats. "Is it the bomb? Is it fresh? Is it 'stoopid'"—He held up two fingers—"with an 'o-o'?"**

Maurice, Angela, Jack, and Maddie simultaneously burst out laughing.

Jazz shook her head and chuckled.

" **Oh, it's stupid, I'll give you that," Jazz said, looking very much unimpressed.**

"How could you keep up a straight face?" asked Maurice incredulously.

Jazz grinned. "As Danny's older sister, I've had a lot of practice, Mr. Foley."

" **Well, you'll change your tune when you see me at the party. When are you changing?" asked Danny since Jazz was still wearing her everyday clothes.**

" **Not changing, not going."**

" **What? You're the only reason Dash invited me!"**

"Poor baby," said Maddie for the countless time that day.

**Jazz crossed her arms. "Not caring"—she was interrupted by Jack's off-screen 'Code red!' exclamation—"and not staying." She walked away.**

"Code…red?" asked Angela, amused. "And oh, young lady," she said to Jazz, "Stay classy." Angela gave her a wink.

Jazz smiled.

**Jack ran into the room, almost scaring Danny in the process. Danny cowered in panic. "Somebody's raided the junk shed while we were away!" He grabbed Danny's shoulders. "Danny! Did you see anything!?"**

"For the love of football, you just caught the culprit!" commented Maurice.

Jack grinned. "Jack Fenton's pretty talented as a cop, eh?"

"Now cue in Danny's attempted deception," muttered Jazz, "Emphasis on 'attempted'."

" **Uh, no, no! Not a thing! But…" Jack dropped Danny. "We should compare notes once I get home from the party. Bye!" Danny finished hurriedly as he edged backwards.**

" **Good plan, son!" Jack shouted. "In the meantime, I'd better secure the lab," he mumbled to the empty room. Jack opened the fridge. "Cover me, boys! SERPENTINE!"**

**The hotdogs had formed a chain and flew out of the fridge. It wrapped itself around Jack's body.**

"Oh dear, it actually worked," said Jazz brightly. "Danny's attempt to lie, I mean."

Maddie turned to her husband, intending to tease him. "Pretty swell for a cop, Jack?"

Jack chuckled sheepishly while the rest of the room laughed.

"But... he got an army of hotdogs and everything!" jested Maurice. They laughed harder.

Angela wiped a tear from her eyes. "Ah, laughing and having a good time like this make me feel younger. I wonder how the kids are doing…"

.

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 20.17 p.m.**

Danny barely had any idea of what he was doing. Scratch that, he had absolutely no idea at all. All he knew was that he had to fulfill the promise he'd already made to the earnest little girl.

It was darn hard.

He was trying his damnest to see through the raging fire around him. He was already intangible. However, there were two kinds of flames in the wreckage. One was the normal fire, caused by the house's combustibles when the missile hit. The other was a strange one. Danny had never seen the likes of it. It was almost indistinguishable from the normal fire to the humans' eyes. But Danny somehow, in an instinctual level, knew. It might also be because it hurt to touch them, intangible or not.

The normal fire of the first floor had somehow abated due to Danny's utilization of his ice powers, but the strange flames were still going strong. Danny himself was getting extremely stifled.

With cyrokinesis in both hands, Danny struggled to get to the level two of the structure, where he suspected the person was in, after futilely searching the first level.

He was nowhere near experienced enough to handle this.

.

Back outside, the firemen were using their equipment to make the fire manageable. The humming sound of their water cannon clashed with the crackling sound of the flames. In the meanwhile, the crowd was growing. People in the other neighborhoods came out of their houses once they heard of Danny Phantom's involvement.

Janice grasped Judy's hand wordlessly. The poor girl had been shaking and whimpering since the ghost boy's departure.

She could only pray for the fate of their father.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.17 p.m.**

Sam's bodyguards took pleasure in flashing their meanest looks every time the accused 'sexual harasser', Dale Snyder, glanced fretfully at their direction. With a broken nose, a detention, and Sam's threat in hand, he barely managed to keep his cool.

Sam was satisfied.

**The next scene faded in to Danny who was standing on a decorated porch, at the house of Dash Baxter. He was giving himself a prep talk. "Okay, this is it. Don't screw it up. Look out world, here comes Danny Fenton!"**

Many people grinned.

Tucker snickered, "Unfortunately, that won't happen until two years after this."

**Danny rang the bell. The door was opened by Dash, who…was wearing an outfit incredibly similar to Danny's usual one.**

" **Uh, Dash?"**

Dash fidgeted under the accusing stares of the nerds. They certainly felt more and more empowered as they claimed that Danny Fenton belonged to their group.

" **Oh right, right." Dash leaned against the doorway, smirking. "You're not really part of my posse, so you didn't get the email. You see, after buying that computer stuff, I didn't have enough money to buy the sweat suit, so I changed the dress code to loser chic!"**

**Dash let Danny take a look inside. The party-goers were dressed like Danny, Sam, and Tucker.**

"Loser chic?" Sam exclaimed, narrowing her eyes.

Tucker sniffed in disdain. "I'll have you know this stuff is totally cooler compared to that ugly sweat suit." He fingered his yellow turtleneck.

Dash looked at them, his eyes conveying his apology.

" **Oh, swell," muttered Danny as he walked inside.**

**Paulina met him halfway. She was dressed in something similar to Sam's gothic get-up. "You like it? It's so horrible it's cool!"**

Sam faked puking. "Ew, that's a sight I don't want to see. Ever."

**Paulina examined Danny critically. "Eck! Who dressed you? Your mom?"**

" **Uh…" Danny sighed as he watched Paulina walk away.**

Thus, more and more people were completely repulsed by the beauty queen's ugly personality.

Tucker said to Sam, "At least Danny wasn't turned on seeing Paulina in your clothes."

"So that means," Sam turned to Tucker in surprise, "He…he likes my clothes?"

Tucker snickered at the goth's uncharacteristic vanity. Sam shut him up with a glare.

"Uh…" The techno-geek scratched his beret, uncomfortable with saying anything without trespassing his and Danny's bro code.

**The screen suddenly showed a shot of Dash's room. It zoomed in to his computer in particular. A pair of red eyes flashed on its screen.**

" **Yes, it is time! Calling all mechanized spirits! Come to me, my minions! It is time to fulfill my destiny!"**

**Technus's face now dominated the computer screen. It floated upward and produced sparks of ghostly electrical energy, which extended outward to the city. The energy traveled among houses and streets. Whenever it passed a contaminated electrical appliance, the appliance came alive. There were toasters, drills, and washing machines joining the call.**

"I'll be damned," Dash muttered, "My room was the base of operation of that ghost!" So that was where his prized computer went. He had blamed Fenton for a long time.

"The more you know…" replied Kwan.

**It was back again to Sam and Tucker's movie night. The duo were lounging lazily on Sam's deluxe theater seats. A film was showing a karate action scene, where one of the characters repeatedly kicked another in the face.**

**Sam turned her annoyed glance to Tucker. "Tucker, if you wanna watch a part over again, could you please tell me first?"**

" **Me? You're the one messing with the remote!"**

**The aforementioned remote started to glow green and float upward.**

"I think you guys thwarted the ghost's disguise!" Mikey exclaimed.

**Tucker and Sam stared after it.**

" **I'm not schooled in the way rich," began Tucker slowly, "But do all your remotes do that?"**

" **No. Well, my toaster does, but it's from Denmark. That stuff Danny was selling must've been contaminated with ghost stuff!"**

Mr. Lancer nodded approvingly at the teens' quick deduction.

**The remote suddenly shot a ghost energy toward the popcorn machine. It exploded, spewing popcorn up everywhere. Tucker and Sam had to duck. The remote also shot at the soda machine, making it go out of control. Jets of soda gushed out toward the teens. Tucker and Sam saw the remote phasing out of the ceiling.**

**They ran outside. In the sky, a number of electrical machinery were floating toward a source.**

" **Looks bad," Tucker said, "Probably a job for Danny Phantom."**

**Sam clenched her fists. "Probably, and if I wasn't so mad at him, I'd probably care that it's going to interrupt his big jock party." She smirked. "Shall we?"**

**They ran to follow the action.**

There were various noises of anticipation. The students were eager to see what happened this time.

"Yeah, action!" Nathan screamed. He had recovered from his downtrodden mood.

"Hey guys!" Mikey called out to Sam and Tucker. "You're just like, ghostbusters!"

It was unknown who started singing first, but they were somewhat synchronized. " _If there's something strange in your neighborhood_ "—people started to laugh—" _who you gonna call?_ "

Mikey and another group of students who were fast on the catch-up, yelled, "Danny, Sam, and Tucker!"

Sam and Tucker cringed amid their laughter.

"Man, I thought the embarrassment was only for Danny," groaned Tucker.

"Grin and bear it, Tuck," said Sam who was stone-faced. "Grin and bear it."

.

**Foley's Residence, 20.19 p.m.**

**Danny was treading awkwardly in between the socializing people. "Hi!" he tried when he saw a couple conversing. "I'm Danny. Do you guys—" They left without giving him a backward glance.**

"That's rough, kid," Maurice muttered.

"He chose the wrong people to talk with. That couple obviously didn't want an intruder," mused Jazz. "Still, ouch."

" **Hey," Danny said to a girl behind him, "Aren't you in my fifth period?" But it was as if the girl didn't see him. Danny sighed.**

Everyone in the living room couldn't help but feel bad for the boy.

"Now that's just bad attitude!" exclaimed Maurice angrily.

Jack looked guilty. "Maddie's right. I'm being too hard on Danny. I understand why he wanted to be appreciated so much. I didn't know it was that bad."

Jazz chose not to tell her father that it was partly because of their parents' profession that the students actively avoided them.

**Danny slowly made his way up the stairs. "What am I doing?" He gazed at the people below. "These people aren't my friends, even if they all look like them. Man, I wish Tucker and Sam were here. It's lonely being popular."**

"So you see, Mom…Dad, little brother _did_ learn his lesson." Jazz smiled.

Jack looked even guiltier, but he and Maddie were wearing a proud smile as they stared at the screen.

.

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 20.19 p.m.**

All lessons learned from the past couldn't prepare Danny for this moment. Coughing, he floated clumsily to the innermost room. It was already half-destroyed, and Danny saw why nobody human could access this place. There was a big wooden panel obscuring half of the room. It was burning. The ceiling had caved in but the open sky couldn't be seen due to the thickness of the smoke. His intangibility was already starting to work against him, flickering every now and then so that Danny accidentally inhaled the burning air.

He saw a hand and a shoulder from under the panel.

Danny gave a hard mental push against his own nausea. He quickly flew and grabbed the panel. It was heavier than he expected, and unfortunately, it was also alight with ghostly flames. Gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, the boy channeled his powers to lift up the construction. At last, he hoisted it on one shoulder and quickly hurled it away. It fell with a bang, almost bringing the whole room down with it. Shaking away the burns, Danny stared at the soot-covered, severely-burned man.

_Something is cracking within him. He doesn't understand. He cannot comprehend._

Fingers covered in a burnt, damaged glove deftly checked the man's vitals. There was a pulse, albeit weak and thready.

_The cracking halts, frozen in a waiting game._

_Oh God, don't let him be too late…_

_._

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.20 p.m.**

The former party-goers of 'Da Bash BASH' party were currently beating themselves up. Granted, none of them knew at the time, and the ghost boy was nowhere as big as he was today. Still, they had inadvertently rejected popularity-personified.

Dash was, unsurprisingly, feeling horrible. His actions on the screen looked horrible. Heck, he was acting like a villain to his hero. Dash looked at the world in black and white. He thought he was the hero against all people too loser-y to be in this world. Only now he realized how stupid the notion was. How did he not see that earlier?

It didn't help that Dash intentionally told his posse to dress up like he told them to — which was with the purpose to ostracize and humiliate Danny. That 'having no money to buy the sweat suit' excuse was bull. He organized that … just like he organized this screening.

Would one good action redeem a bad one?

**Danny's ghost sense went off as he walked on Dash's second floor hall. The boy gasped, looking at a door, Dash's bedroom door.**

" **That's odd…" He opened it with a certain amount of trepidation, and gasped again.**

**A glowing computer monitor was laughing maniacally in the center of the room. It was floating while other electronic machineries started to come one by one through the open window. A washing machine, a power drill, a bedside lamp — they attached themselves to the monitor. Dash's lava lamp flew up from its location beside Danny. The electronic machineries became one giant robotic entity.**

" **I am Technus! Master of all things mechanical! And once I complete my construction, you will all succumb to my awesome pow—" The monitor suddenly experienced a glitch and shook uncontrollably from its position. "What is wrong with me!" exclaimed the ghost, trying to hold the monitor firm.**

Tucker and Sam snickered. Everyone looked at them, confused. How could they find this dangerous situation funny?

"Dudes and dudettes, trust me when I say this, Technus's hobby to yell his plans to the world, and his painfully long introduction, is always worth the laugh," explained Tucker.

"That's why he's such an easy ghost to fight," Sam added in. "You just need to make him introduce himself."

Many people nodded with a smile on their faces.

Tucker nudged Sam. "We're giving ghost-fighting instructions now?" he whispered.

Sam's face colored. "Um…"

"I _might_ shut up with one treat at Nasty Burger."

She nodded, rolling her eyes.

"Sweet!"

**Danny's eyes fell on the Portals XL upgrading disc. "The upgrade," he murmured lowly, "Dash still hasn't upgraded his software!" To Technus, he sternly stated, "Oh no!" Danny transformed into Phantom. "You're not getting that upgrade disc and making yourself more powerful!"**

A lots of snaps were heard as people's hands were introduced to their respective faces. Sam groaned, but she was also smiling fondly at Danny's antics. So what? Her boyfriend still pulled off his endearing silliness, touching the darkest reaches of her goth's heart. Not that she would say that thought out loud, of course.

Tucker snickered seeing Sam's rather lovesick face. She didn't think she could hide it from him, did she?

**Technus stopped and stared. "What? Another great idea! To heck with tutoring, you should be a teacher!"**

Now everyone couldn't help themselves. They burst into hysterical fits of laughter, including some of the teachers. Some students even had tears on their faces.

**Ignoring that remark, Phantom flew up to meet the giant electronic robot. However, a toaster slid from behind Technus's back. It acted like a gun which spat out green energy blasting the ghost boy who'd just managed to grab onto the disc. Moments before he hit the door, Phantom turned intangible and phased through it instead.**

" **Ghost toast!?" he exclaimed after landing inside Dash's closet, which was filled with identical letterman jackets and…many plushy teddy bears.**

" **Geez, how many letter jackets does one guy need? And these…I don't even wanna know." He picked up and squeezed one pink teddy. It squeaked.**

"I died," Tucker gasped. "Oh gosh I just died and went to heaven!"

Everyone was either a. laughing, b. laughing their ass off, c. laughing while rolling on the floor, d. rolling on the floor and crying, or e. crying and curling up their bodies. The more of a Dash Baxter victim or hater you were, the more you went farther down in the alphabet.

Dash suddenly resembled an overgrown crab due to his red face.

Ishiyama shouted, "Students! Stop teasing poor Mr. Baxter right now!"

However, her choice in using the word 'poor' only prompted people to laugh harder. She shook her head, giving up, after seeing that some of her teachers were also chuckling.

**Phantom quickly shot out of the room. Technus was eagerly going to grab the upgrade disc, but he was given a full-bodied slam by the ghost boy. Technus retaliated by slapping the boy as if he was a fly. Phantom slammed into a wall, knocking off several paintings.**

" **You are a formidable opponent, but a little wet behind the ears. Perhaps you could use a little drying off?"**

The avid audience unconsciously muttered a confused "huh" at the strange pun.

**A claw came out of the center of Technus's robotic body. The center was formerly a dryer. The claw grabbed Phantom and pulled him inside. Then he was spun like a piece of clothing before being ejected forcefully, sending him flying into the dresser. It crashed upon impact.**

The audience gasped.

**Phantom opened his eyes and growled determinedly at Technus, who ran to grab the disc. He was summarily body slammed into the opposing wall, against Dash's TV and home theatre. It was crashed. Technus looked disoriented.**

**In the chaos, the disc somehow slipped into the slot in Technus' chest. Technus's monitor flashed a loading screen, which was very quickly moving to 100 percent. The upgrade was completed. Technus smirked at the gaping ghost boy.**

**Without giving the ghost any time to attack, Phantom turned his body intangible, and grabbed Technus _through_ the wall…..just in time as Dash opened the door to his room.**

Mike's eyes were wide. "That," he whispered, "is the single most _epic_ fight I've ever seen!"

Nathan nodded his agreement.

**Dash took one look at the destroyed room. He narrowed his eyes. "Fenton, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"**

"Technically, he is," Tucker said, grinning.

Sam turned to Dash. "So how did you repair your room, Dash?"

Dash looked uncomfortable. "Uh, I claimed some insurance money, but got rejected."

"You should have stated the cause as 'ghost attack'."

"Well, I blamed Fenton at the time alright," said Dash ruefully. "They wouldn't have believed me if I said 'ghost attack'. Heck, my parents wouldn't have believed me." It was true. Amity Park had been denying the existence of ghosts for months, even after the first ghost was sighted.

"So, what did you do?" asked Tucker with interest. The teachers and students also stared at Dash, curious of his answer.

"I…I got my parents _tosuetheFentons_ ," he mumbled, looking down.

"I'm sure someone in Texas can hear you now, Baxter," Sam said, "You've got a frog in your mouth?"

"I...My parents tried to sue the Fentons, okay?" Dash muttered helplessly. Everyone gasped. Whispers and low murmurs went around the room. Sam looked shocked. "But—but I met Fenton the next day, and, you know, I did _talk_ to him near the lockers—"

Tucker coughed, "He meant 'shove Danny into his locker' by talk."

Dash paused, his face becoming red once again. "Uh…well…"

"Continue with the story," barked Sam.

"Right," Dash quickly said. "He somehow pushed me back—though I didn't know then how he did it," he chuckled lightly, but quickly stopped it seeing Sam's impatient expression. "And he took out his wallet, and gave me a wad of cash, saying that it was his saving and he was like, sorry for wrecking my room."

Sam and Tucker raised their eyebrows. They didn't know that.

"So my parents didn't sue his parents," Dash finished. Inwardly, there was a crushing guilt threatening to overwhelm the jock again. Dash had dragged the smaller boy to the toilet after that, and given him a swirlie — as a payback for Fenton's teddy bear prank.

.

**91 Fallowmist St., Eastern Amity Park, 20.22 p.m.**

The awaiting crowd – rife with people who were either casual watchers or seeking entertainment – had the _gall_ to cheer when he phased out of the wreckage of a house, like it was some world-saving feat or something. To their credit however, the cheers were quickly replaced by horrified gasps once they saw his cargo. He ignored them all and quickly went to the expectant paramedics. That was also where the O'Neals were standing.

He brought them the last of their family members. With some difficulties due to the man's size compared to his, Danny landed and laid the burned victim on the gurney. He stepped back to allow the medics to do their jobs. Whispers and murmurs quickly assaulted his hearing, and Danny had to concentrate hard to keep his composure.

"What's happening?"

"Has someone died?"

"DAD! OH DEAR LORD, SAVE HIM, PLEASE!"

"—is he still alive? He doesn't look like it."

"Look! The house has collapsed on itself. The fire will start to die down."

"James, you need to hold Janice away from dad!"

"Oh my, is that Marcus? Don't like the guy but it's sad that Phantom's too late to save him."

"Hush, don't speak ill of the dead, Tony."

The quiet sobs of a six-year-old girl.

"Poor children…"

"—you should just go there and ask the ghost boy yourself…"

 _Don't they know that he's in shock too?_ A large hand was placed on his shoulder, startling him. He turned around to see the fireman from before. The man's aged face bore down on him; his mouth moved, but Danny suddenly felt like he was submerged, trying to hear the words from a long tunnel. That was weird because he was still a ghost, with ghost powers. Ghosts couldn't drown.

"…need to get someone to check up on you, son. I can call the Fentons, your parents, if you're not comfortable. Let's just leave this area for a moment before the reporters get a piece of you."

Danny snapped back up at the man's suggestion to leave the area. He just couldn't.

"No," he said firmly, shaking his head and taking a step back. The noises reduced in volume, as everyone struggled to hear the ghost hero. In the background, there were sounds of camera shutters whirring and clicking.

"Is—is he gonna be alive?" Danny asked, swallowing the lump on his throat.

The paramedics stared at him. In the sudden silence, the head medic pulled out a particular clipboard and a pocket watch. She glanced at the ghost boy sadly before stating, "Time of death, twenty two minutes past—"

"NO!" Janice yelled, throwing herself out of the grasp of her brother, James.

"—eight p.m."

_The frozen cracks shatter into nothingness, and the black hole pulls him down…down…down…_

_._

The people watched, and the camera recorded, while Danny Phantom staggered backwards, gasping. After that, he launched himself to the air and accelerated upwards. There was no word spoken, or last glance given. They followed his movement until he was but a speck of glowing dot in the distance.

All that remained was the reality of death before them.

.

**Foley's Residence, 20.22 p.m.**

"Don't get me wrong," Angela told the two ghost hunters in the room. "Fighting ghosts is a noble and amazing act, but like any fight, it seems to do a lot of damage."

"Ah baby," Maurice disagreed with a relaxed tone. "Damage is irrelevant when you can kick, punch, shoot, and kick any ghost's ass!"

"You said 'kick' twice, Maurice darling," remarked an amused Angela, "but seriously, that's the reason why I prefer the non-violent way of solving things instead. If Danny can apply that, imagine how inspiring that would be."

Maddie shrugged. "A plausible option, Angie, though you have to remember that ghosts are violent by nature." Then, she slapped a hand to her mouth. "Sorry, I forgot about Danny again." Her face was very regretful.

"We can revise that theory as soon as possible, Maddie," said Jack, "Now I wonder whether we can make non-violent weapons."

"Non-violent weapons?" snorted Jazz dubiously. "That's totally an oxymoron, Dad. Oh yeah, I think that damage is inevitable, as long as there's no casualty. That's more important. Danny's had zero-casualty rate so far." She had a proud smile on her face.

"Danny-boy did that?"

"And he still does, Dad."

**The scene went back to Sam and Tucker who were following the progression of the floating machinery. They arrived in a secluded alley.**

" **Sam, I got the Fenton Thermos!" exclaimed Tucker. "You know, Danny's really gotta start carrying this as some sort of lunch box."**

" **Everything is gravitating here to Dash's house," Sam observed, "Looks like whatever fun Danny's having will be coming to an end soon."**

**Just after she said that, there was a thud, and they heard the sound of Danny's screams. The duo looked up to see their best friend sailing over their heads, and slamming against the wall.**

" **Hey Sam. Hi Tuck. Glad you could make it." Danny slid down and fell unconscious.**

Maddie gasped. "Oh sweetie!"

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.23 p.m.**

Everyone let out a concerned gasp.

**Tucker and Sam looked up as a giant shadow loomed over them. They saw the giant-robot Technus walking between buildings.**

" **I am Technus! Master of technology and destroyer of worlds! Behold my awesome electronic fury! Who's your daddy!?"**

"'Who's your daddy?'" Star couldn't help chirping in. "Ugh, he's almost as bad as Mr. Lancer."

Said teacher glared at the girl.

**Phantom opened his eyes and saw what happened. He immediately flew up and punched the giant metal, repeatedly, and to no avail. His flesh was useless against the metal. Technus smacked him down with one hand. He fell down on the ground between Sam and Tucker.**

"You have to use your brains, Danny, not your brawn!" shouted Nathan to the screen as if it was a live show.

"Well," snickered Tucker. "The location of Danny's brain is somewhat questionable. Must be from all the knockouts."

**He looked up at his two friends. "Guys, help!" He flew upward determinedly again, only to be hit back. Tucker and Sam turned their backs.**

" **Come on, guys!"**

**There were more sounds of fighting off-screen, and Phantom wasn't the one winning.**

" **Guys, come on! Seriously!"**

Everyone stared at Tucker and Sam.

"Calm down, guys," reassured Sam, "We had every intention on helping him."

**He flew upward again, dodging several of Technus's attacks. "I'm sorry I chose hanging with the popular kids over you guys–it was stupid and shallow and I'll never do it again!" he hurriedly said while continuing to dodge. However, at the last moment, he got caught by a giant mental fist, and thrown down to the ground.**

"Gee," muttered Mikey, staring at Sam and Tucker's calm faces on screen, "you guys were so calm seeing Danny getting beat up."

Tucker pondered, "We're kinda…used to it?"

Everyone simultaneously agreed that it was quite a sad fact, really.

" **How can we be of assistance?" asked Sam immediately.**

**Danny stood up and told her, "He's running an old version of Portals XL."**

" **That piece of vaporwear? It's the worst software ever."**

**Tucker seemed to get an idea. "Keep him busy. I think I know how you can beat him."**

" **That I can do!" Phantom shot upward again to meet Technus. He pointed a finger at the technology ghost. "Get back, you…hunk of my dad's junk!"**

Many people let out involuntary chuckles hearing Danny's infamous 'witty banter'.

**Technus leaned forward. "Could mere junk do this?" he challenged. A remote was produced from his center. One robotic finger pressed a button….Phantom was changed into a cowboy.**

"Oh howdy," guffawed Tetslaff. She was one out of many who were convulsing with laughter.

**Another button….Phantom became a blond female model.**

"Still hilarious the second time watching it!" exclaimed Tucker, holding his sides.

**Another button….Spock from _Star Trek_ appeared.**

The nerds cheered.

"This is getting better and better," Mikey shouted.

" **Give me that!" Spock forcefully wrenched the remote from Technus. He clicked on a button and turned into Danny Phantom again.**

"Aw, the fun ends," grumbled Kwan jokingly.

**But a metal arm suddenly grabbed and slammed the ghost boy into a wall. Phantom grabbed onto the claw and tried to pull himself out.**

" **Tucker, any time!"**

" **I'm trying, I'm trying!" yelled the techno-geek. He was busy clicking on his PDA.**

**Sam came over. "What's wrong?"**

" **I'm trying to bypass the program but I can't! He must've upgraded it!"**

" **What do we do?"**

**In the background, Technus slammed Danny repeatedly against the wall. "We need the latest version of Portals XL, but where are we gonna get it this time of night?"**

**Sam pulled out her phone. "Leave it to me!"**

The computer teacher leaned forward on his seat, curious on what the teens were going to do.

**In no time, a delivery girl came by her scooter. "Here you go, Sam," she said as she gave a package to Sam. Sam exchanged it with money.**

" **Thanks, Tracey."**

Everyone gaped at Sam, before remembering the presence of the bodyguards near the doors — the reminder that she was actually filthy rich. Sam rolled her eyes.

**Tucker came over, astonished. "Wow! You have access to the latest technology after hours?"**

" **Yep," Tracey answered.**

**He smiled. "What else can you do after hours?"**

Tucker suddenly got a lot of 'oooohs' and cat calls. He waved smugly to the crowd.

**Tracey frowned, holding up a clipboard. "Just sign the voucher, sir."**

Sam turned to Tucker. "Did the burn hurt?"

Tucker frowned heavily. "Watch it, Manson. I'm gonna tell Danny on ya'."

"And he'll do what?" Sam smirked amusedly. "In case you didn't know, he's my boyfriend."

Tucker shrugged. "At least two is better than one. Me and him versus you."

"Who says that he's gonna be on _your_ side?"

Tucker grumbled good-naturedly.

**On the screen, Sam approached Technus. "Uh, excuse me! I'm Sam. I don't believe I caught your name! Perhaps you should scream it really loud and shout out your motive."**

"That could work?" questioned Mikey.

**Technus stared down at her. "Hello. I am Technus!" He raised his fists up in the air. "Manipulator of machines! Lord of all gadgetry! Wizard of integrated circuitry!"**

" **Go on," Sam urged, smiling.**

"Gee, what manipulator of machines? He's just plain stupid," said Mikey, grinning.

**Sam discreetly held up two power cords. "Isn't there more you'd like to tell me?" She promptly plugged the cords in together.**

" **Oh yes!" droned on Technus, oblivious. "I am also master…of all…—" His system experienced a massive glitch and started to shake.**

" **What's happening?" asked Phantom who was still being held up against the wall.**

**A surge of electricity went up Technus's main cord, as the machinery started to tremble and fell apart. The camera followed the cord to reveal that it was connected to Tucker's PDA.**

" **Portals XL is happening," Tucker said, waving his stylus over his PDA. The screen read 'SHUTDOWN'. "Everybody knows that every new version of Portals XL has a gigantic hole on its security system."**

The computer science teacher, Mr. Andrews, took the initiative to stand up and applaud the techno-geek. He was sporting a very impressed expression on his face. Many students followed his example and gave their appreciation to both Tucker and Sam.

Sam's mouth twisted in a small smile, while Tucker practically ate up the attention. He stood up and mock-bowed, much to everyone's amusement.

"No, Mr. Foley," Mr, Andrews stated. "Not everyone knows that Portals XL has a gigantic security hole. In fact, I myself didn't know that."

Tucker flushed. "Thanks, Mr. Andrews."

Meanwhile, Dale told his closest friends, "Oh hell, the techno-geek turns out to be more of a loser than I thought."

They snickered.

" **WHAT! NO!" Technus screamed, his hold over Phantom fell apart.**

**Phantom grinned. "Yes!" He soared higher and grabbed the extended claw. With a "Process this!" he pushed the end of the claw into Technus's main drive. The system was completely broken as the electricity sparkled throughout the electrical giant's entire form.**

" **Wait! That doesn't go there!" was Technus's last shout. His monitor interface had been blinking with 'ERROR' for some time. Suddenly, it all ended. The system shut down abruptly. The suit hunched over.**

**From the ground, Tucker grinned. "And for my final trick…" He pulled out a thermos and threw it up at Phantom, who skillfully caught it. A blue beam emerged after he opened the lid. Technus the ghost was sucked out of the suit, screaming "Noooo!" all the way.**

**The electronic suit fell apart, machinery and appliances piling up like junk.**

" **Nice going, Tuck," complimented Sam. Phantom landed beside them.**

" **Don't thank me"— Tucker held up a disc—"thank lousy software!"**

The audience couldn't help laughing.

"That was an awesome ending!" cheered Nathan. He and Mikey, after nodding to each other, together urged the nerds to start the cheering again. This time, it was aimed at the resident techno-geek.

Tucker couldn't help gaping at the amount of appreciation that he was getting.

"Techno-geek rules!"

"I'd bet Tucker Foley can even hack into the CIA's database!"

"He should've been the manipulator of machines instead of Technus!" Tucker stared at the grinning Mikey. He smiled softly.

Sam watched it all with a smile on her face. "You see, Tuck," she said quietly, "this is what me and Danny's been trying to tell you all along. You're an impressive individual all on your own. We're lucky to have you on Team Phantom."

Overwhelmed, Tucker tried to do his usual 'thing', which was a combination of bad puns and harm-inducing jokes. "Wow, Sam, that's awfully cheesy for you. Next thing Danny and I know you'd be dressing in a pink gown and handing out flowers."

"Boot to the face, Tuck. Say that one more and you'll get one."

He grinned. _See? Totally harm-inducing._

**_._ **

**There was a time skip and the scene changed to show Casper High in all its glory. The bell had just rung, and the trio — Danny, Sam, and Tucker — was walking down the hall.**

**"So," Tucker began. "What's the damage for this weekend? Did you get into trouble for taking your folks' stuff?"**

**"Not really," Danny answered easily. "I hauled it all back to the shed yesterday while they were out. My dad's checking every piece for government surveillance devices."**

"Um … but why? How is it related?" Star muttered in confusion. Her question was unfortunately only heard by the A-listers who sat nearby – not Sam, Tucker, or anyone else who could either deduce or think of an answer. Instead, it got answered … by Dale.

"The Fentons are paranoid freaks, Star," said the jock.

Star sighed. It was time she decided her side. "Dale, don't throw that word around like it's nothing. If you say 'freak' once again, or want to cause any trouble, I'll shout for Manson's bodyguards."

The A-listers looked between them with various degree of surprise, with only two exceptions. Kwan beamed at her openly, while Dash threw a hesitant grin at Star.

Dale narrowed his eyes. "Not you too."

Star averted her eyes.

**"Sounds like you got off pretty easily," Sam said.**

**"Well, I do have to return those stupid sweats so I can refund everybody's money." Danny stopped walking and looked at his two best friends. "And I still feel terrible about the way I treated you guys. Of all people, I should know how it feels to be invisible."**

Mr. Lancer smiled to himself as he listened to Danny's narrative. It was incredibly well-said. _Mr. Fenton should have scored higher in English._

**Sam smiled and leaned against a locker. "So, would you say you've learned a lesson from all this?"**

"He did!" Nathan cheered, brimming with happiness.

**Danny looked sideways.**

**The camera panned to Dash who was opening his locker. A pile of teddy bears came out and fell to the ground.**

**"FENTON!"**

Many people laughed at being reminded of that hilarity.

"Brilliant! Simply brilliant!" Nathan yelled, his eyes were bright with adoration.

Sam winced seeing it.

**"Yep," Danny spoke happily. "That one person's trash is another person's revenge." The trio laughed. The episode ended.**

This was starting to become the norm. Once an episode ended, they would cheer like their favorite sport team had won a match. So, the school did just that. They cheered and laughed and refilled their snack supply. The loudest in particular was the nerds and science geeks — they liked this episode so much. The quietest group was none other than Dale and his posse. Dash, Kwan, and Star sat and looked incredibly unsure.

Meanwhile, the teachers relaxed a bit. Mr. Andrews went forward to check the technical equipment so that it'd be ready for the next and last segment.

Sam sighed. "Tucker, I wonder how Danny's doing…"

"He'll come back soon, right?" Tucker shot back, grinning tentatively.

.

"Dash?" Kwan asked his best mate. The quarterback had a thinking look on his face — and it was completely weird to look at.

"Yeah?"

"Something on your mind?"

"Nothing! It's just..." Dash sighed. "Besides that one time, Fenton hasn't told anyone else about teddies."

Kwan raised an eyebrow. "Teddies? Uh..."

"I mean, the teddy bears," he growled. "He didn't even use it to do like, blackmail or anything..."

Kwan shrugged. "Fenton is Fenton, mate."

"Yeah right..."

"Everyone!" someone screamed. Dash and Kwan looked up, curious like the rest of the student body. "There's a breaking news about Phantom! Channel Six!" the guy waved his phone in the air — it was most likely where he got the information from. Mr. Andrews, the closest one to the control panel, quickly changed channels. From _Amity Park News_ to _Channel Six_.

"Is it Paulina?" Dash called out to the informer.

He shook his head. "No, but Pa said it's real bad."

.

"This is Connie Hamilton with Channel Six News, reporting on a breaking news story about an unusual house fire in our eastern suburban, which is apparently caused by a ghost fight. Danny Phantom was reported to be at the scene, helping the firefighters on duty to bring out the one and only casualty, Marcus O'Neal — a 45-year-old man, single father to four children. The story is being developed as we speak, but we've received some low quality footage from the scene."

_The shaky camera record showed people crowding what looked like an ambulance. Phantom's form was distinguishable due to his glow. Everyone was saying something, making the audio of the video indiscernible. Suddenly, a bulky firefighter went over to the ghost boy quickly and talked to him. The noise gradually became lesser. Then, some of the sentences could now be caught by the audio._

_"...gonna be alive?"_

_"Time of death, twenty two minutes past —"_

_"—NO!"_

_"—eight p.m."_

_Then, everyone in the video seemed to look for Phantom's reaction. The ghost kid seemed frozen for a moment; then he moved backward, trembled, and promptly shot to the air. The camera followed him, before freezing. It cut to Connie at the studio again._

"So what we just saw might be the first death directly caused by ghost attacks in this country..."

.

.

**To be continued in "A Dash of Redemption" a.k.a. Splitting Images**


	11. A Dash of Redemption

**Previously…**

_Then, everyone in the video seemed to look for Phantom's reaction. The ghost kid seemed frozen for a moment; then he moved backward, trembled, and promptly shot to the air. The camera followed him, before freezing. It cut to Connie at the studio again._

" _So what we just saw might be the first death directly caused by ghost attacks in this country…"_

_._

Everyone in the basketball court was silent in shock while the news anchor continued to drone on. The words seemed insignificant against the staggering information they'd just been given. They, like the rest of Amity Park citizens, had never associated ghost attacks with death. Sure, there could be a city-wide relocation to the realm of the ghosts and property damage in a massive scale, but the death of a citizen had never come up in news report.

Thanks to Danny Phantom.

Sam had already stood up. She'd known both Danny and Tucker since the eighth grade, and considered herself to be able to read both boys fairly well. The image of Danny's horror-struck face from the news footage was firmly fixed in her mind's eye.

"Tucker," she hissed, grabbing a pinch of his shirt. "Let's go."

Tucker looked up from his furious typing on his PDA. "Wait a sec. I just need to send some command to locate Danny's whereabouts. It shouldn't take more than two minutes." He continued to tap his stylus on the PDA. Sometime after Team Phantom had started ghost hunting, they developed a system to track each member's — especially Danny's — location should the need arise. It was most useful for Sam and Tucker when they had to follow Danny's flight on their scooters or feet.

Sam gave him an impatient glare, chewing her lower lip hard in worry. The more time they wasted here, the more likely it was for Danny to do something drastic — without anyone to watch over him.

Around the hall, people were busy discussing the recent turn with their neighbors and friends, as if Danny's life was just a television drama, and death was just a twist in the story. Sam felt her stomach plunge at the thought. Death. She was a goth. She should have been familiar with the thought of death, but she was not — how much worse did the more vulnerable Danny, who was caring to a fault, fare right now? Judging from his reaction in the news, it must be _killing_ him.

 _Heh, puns. Danny's finally rubbing off on me,_ Sam thought gloomily.

The teachers were conversing among themselves. Anxiety was clear on each of their faces. Sam happened to catch Lancer's gaze. He gave the standing girl a wary, yet expectant look — like he knew what she planned on doing — and nodded imperceptibly. In turn, she sent a small smile at him.

"Right, he's heading west," muttered Tucker, "I've got the signal."

"Let's be quick. Try calling his number, Tuck."

"Already on it," the techno-geek replied easily, also standing up.

Together, Sam and Tucker slipped out of the basketball court, unnoticed. It seemed that their sneaking skills were still top-notch despite the fact that now everyone knew who they were best friend with. Sam's bodyguards let them pass through the front doors without as much as a question.

Before closing the doors behind her, Sam glanced at the men and stopped short. She then smiled as an idea came over her.

"I need your car keys," she said to Mr. Marvin, the one with the crew cut hair.

They glanced uncertainly at each other. "Uh, you haven't had your driving license yet, Miss Manson."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter. I know the basics."

"I'm not sure your mother would—"

"—Bubbe would say yes. It's on me if you got found out."

"Well…" When the men were still hesitating, Sam stuck her hand on her spider bag and pulled out a wallet.

"How much? Ten? Fifty?" Without waiting for an answer, the girl pulled out two fifty dollar bills and offered it to the men. The bodyguards, again, exchanged glances before they grabbed the money, coughing awkwardly as they did so.

Sam wordlessly took the car keys and left. The men schooled their faces into impassivity as the doors slid shut.

.

.

Mikey looked around, confused. "Where in the holy smokes are Sam and Tucker?"

"They're gonna go to Danny!" gasped Nathan. "Burned sausages! Why didn't they tell us they wanna do sidekicks duty?"

"Oh bummer," Mikey moaned. "I want to come, too."

The murmurings and conversations stalled, before everyone started to scan the room for the missing teens. Principal Ishiyama scowled and had almost moved to reach for the microphone, but Lancer held up a hand.

"Let them search for Mister Fenton."

The woman frowned. "William, how could you have forgotten what happened when Miss Sanchez went outside?"

"We cannot exactly deny they've been on their own all this time, can we?"

"Right," said the Principal, letting out a breath. "You're right, of course. But they shouldn't have to. It isn't right that that these teenagers do important things without us adults to help them."

From her seat several feet away, Tetslaff commented with a sardonic voice, "Come now, you were young once. That's exactly what most teenagers want."

.

.

"Now this is what I call as livin' the high life." Tucker grinned while he leaned back slightly. The BMW Convertible's seat was definitely made for comfort.

Letting out a light grunt, Sam was busying herself with the ignition key. "Why. is. this. not. working?" she said, repeatedly turning the key to no avail. The vehicle just wouldn't start.

Tucker's expression turned concerned. "Uh…Sam? You sure you can drive this thing? Maybe you should step on a pedal or something."

"Gotcha!" exclaimed Sam, after she turned the key and stepping on the clutch pedal. It started with a vroom. "You got Danny's location already?"

"Yeah, he's now moving to the city hall area. I s'ppose we'll catch up in about twenty—WHOA! SAM!" Tucker screamed like a girl as the car gave a sudden lurch forward.

"Slow down! Slow down!" he continued to scream because Sam showed no sign of slowing down.

"Shut up!" Sam shot back. "You're ruining my concentration!"

"No! Don't take your eyes off the street! TURN LEFT—SAM YOU ALMOST RAN THAT OVER!"

So the rest of the ride was filled with Tucker's uncontrollable shrieks and Sam's herculean effort to block them out.

.

.

"So the sidekicks are off to comfort crybaby Phantom!" Dale mocked. "Boo hoo!"

It was meant to be said to only six people in the room —all Dale's closest circle. However, the jibe was heard to a wider circle. The surrounding people were staring at the jock in disbelief.

Seeing red, Dash jumped and tackled the fellow jock before anyone could do anything, yelling, "You son of a b-tch!" The commotion immediately attracted the attention of everybody.

"BAXTER! SNYDER!" bellowed the Principal. Her seating was almost on the other side of the room, so she was now moving quickly toward the two viciously wrestling football stars. Unfortunately, her distance also omitted her from the hearing range of Dale's initial comment.

"This is the second—no, third time tonight I saw my students behave like—like a group of scoundrels! What do you have to say for yourself!?"

By this time, the whole football team in attendance had interfered in the violent spat and separated their two teammates. Dale was staring at Dash with a hateful, deliberate smirk on his bleeding lips, like his statement earlier was a concerted effort to provoke Dash in particular. Dash, on the other hand, was too busy snarling and spitting saliva to explain himself to the Principal.

Everybody held their breath in anticipation. It was an outlandish scene. Two of the school's biggest football stars were staring each other to death, while the school principal had her hands on her hip — outdoing, _single-handedly_ , the jock's staring battle with her bulging eyes.

All of a sudden, Lancer sauntered by in his usual style, taking everyone off-guard by his calm and assertive manner. He grabbed the boys by their arms — for they wouldn't dare going physical against a respected teacher — and then seated them forcefully near to each other. The teacher himself plopped his body down between them.

"Let's get to watch the last segment, shall we?" he instructed, curling his lip in disdain. "It's getting late, people. Time is of the essence so everyone should—" the gravity of the moment was ruined as the overweight man pulled out his beloved book—" _break camp_."

Needless to say, everyone groaned as they broke their figurative camps. The unknown narrator on the screen once again started the countdown. Everyone lowered their noise level — until all that was heard was a few whispers and some quiet munching of popcorns. Thus, the show started.

**The first scene took place in Casper High. It was in the early morning when Tucker, Sam, and Danny were walking down the hallway lifting a box each. The boxes had the label "Save the Frogs!" on their fronts accompanied with a picture of a crossed-out frog.**

" **So," Danny began, "Why exactly are we breaking our backs here, Sam?"**

" **Frogs' rights. We have to stop dissecting frogs in our school's biology labs, and in today's assembly, I'm gonna demonstrate a humane alternative." She turned her box so that the writing on its top could be seen.**

"' **I can't believe it's not a frog cadaver'?" Tucker read, some incredulity seeped into his voice.**

**To show him, Sam put her box down and opened it, pulling out a mechanical frog that was dripping with strange green liquid-slime.**

" ** _Please remove my detachable three-chambered heart_ ," intoned the pre-programmed mechanical voice.**

Mr. Falluca hummed in realization. He turned to Mr. Floyd, the government and politics teacher. "Such a shame she didn't get to show this marvelous idea at that assembly."

Floyd snorted. "Did you remember? I saw a more…marvelous sight that day." He chuckled, remembering a certain someone cross-dressing himself on the stage. Now _that_ was what he would like to find out why.

Among the A-listers' seats, Mr. Lancer was grinning to himself. He went on a lecture-mode. "While those superficial frogs are no doubt more humane, Miss Manson failed to realize that a synthetic-generated dissection is substantially different from an organic-generated one."

He looked around expecting to receive some acclaim or at the very least an intellectual riposte. Sadly, he was talking to the wrong crowd, if the blank and bored faces of the A-listers were any indication.

**A puff of cold air suddenly escaped Danny's mouth. The box that Sam had put down glowed green and exploded open, a green ghostly aura manifested in the hallway. Sam accidentally flung her frog and it landed right on Tucker's head, effectively obscuring his vision.**

Many students gasped.

"I'm not surprised anymore this happened in our school hall," Ishiyama remarked faintly.

**The green aura continued to manifest to reveal…the Box Ghost.**

" **Oh great," Danny deadpanned, "him again."**

That was all it needed to demolish any tension and fear which usually came up every time a ghost attack happened. The audience laughed heartily.

Dash slapped his knees in jest. "Say, what kind of ghosts sucks at scaring people? The Box Ghost is just a sucky loser!"

People chortled harder.

"Hey!" Mikey exclaimed, after they'd calmed down somewhat. "Think about it, Danny actually also sucks at scaring people!"

He made some of the students snicker, but not Dash; Dash was standing up. "What did ya say, loser?"

Lancer summarily pulled him down by his jacket and glared at the boy warningly. Meanwhile, Mikey turned surprised eyes at the jock, starting to be afraid of him once again.

Dale looked at Dash and snorted. "You seriously can't stand hearing the words 'Fenton' and 'suck' in the same sentence?" He coughed, "Lame fanboy. Loser."

Dash snarled.

"Uh uh," grunted Lancer. "Behave."

" **I am the Box Ghost!" said the overall-wearing spook while waving his arms. "And I will have my corrugated cardboard vengeance!"**

**Danny summoned the blue-white halos that transformed him into Phantom. Behind him, Sam grabbed the frog on Tucker's head and tried hard to get it off. It was released with a splat, and Tucker found his face covered in green slime.**

" **Oh gross," the boy moaned.**

"What substance was that?" Megan, a student aspiring to become a chemist, leaned forward.

"I don't know. Piss?" another student answered carelessly, snickering when the lab-coat-clad student glared at him.

**Floating and taking a fighting stance in the air, Phantom ordered, "You guys get to the assembly, I'll get this moron sealed up tight!"**

**Smirking, the Box Ghost waved an arm forward. A box filled with dissection scalpels launched its contents at Phantom, who quickly turned intangible. He stared at his torso as the flying knifes passed through it.**

" **Ha," gasped the half-ghost, holding his chest, "maybe Sam has a point."**

Almost everyone winced, even though the ghost boy most likely meant that as a humorous remark. Lancer's lips thinned into a grim line, unnoticed by everybody.

**Suddenly, the Box Ghost pulled out a surprise move: body-slamming Phantom through the lockers, multiple layers of walls, and finally, to the backstage area of the auditorium. Phantom grimaced as he landed, unable to stop the transformation rings from turning him back into human.**

" **Oops!"**

Kwan recreated Danny's pained grimace, "Oh man…"

"Wait," said Dash in a rare moment of realization. "If that happened backstage, then what happened next is…"

**The Box Ghost phased in to the area, gloating. "Tremble before the might of the Box Ghost!" He charged ectoplasmic energy on his hands, pointing them at a nearby box. "As you are devoured by—" he paused as he had another reading of the label—"Uh… oh yeah. Costumes and props from the Broadway classic, _My Fair Lady!_ " **

**Like before, the contents of the box came hitting Danny who was helpless against the onslaught. He was immediately buried under a pile of colorful costumes.**

**The blue-skinned ghost laughed menacingly before flying away, not without one last "Beware!"**

"He's victorious for once," Star commented, "That justified his totally lame exit."

Kwan chuckled.

**The fight behind the curtain went completely unnoticed by the auditorium attendees. Sam entered the stage and walked to the podium. "Fellow students, something sick and disgusting is taking place right here at our school, and I'm about to show you what it is!"**

**The curtain opened to show a giant poster of "Save the Frogs!" A small pile of clothes could be seen on its left. The rather apathetic audience immediately took notice of the clothes…..and laughed.**

**Danny was in the process of standing up from the pile, wearing a pink-and-white gown, a wig, and a matching hat. Seeing that he got an audience, his brows furrowed.**

Everyone couldn't help themselves. The court was full of people crumpling helplessly with laughter. The teachers abandoned all 'grown-up' pretenses and joined in the merriment, not excluding Lancer who was stuck between two unamused boys — both had different reasons for being so.

Mikey was already gasping on the floor and in the process of impersonating a writhing caterpillar. "This," he gushed," is cracking!"

Beside him, Nathan was staring at the screen dreamily. "Hey, Danny actually looks _good_ as a girl." All who heard him immediately halted their laughter and gave him weird looks.

Dash, however, was one of the two in the room who had not even let out a chuckle — he was glaring at the crowd, especially at those who laughed the hardest. The other one, Dale, was busy grumbling to himself. Finally, the former bully couldn't take it. He stood up.

"What the heck is wrong with you!?" yelled Dash, making the laughter stop. "Fenton's like that because he fought that ghost! You _dare_ to laugh at him!?"

"Um….Dash?" Kwan whispered in embarrassment, fruitlessly pulling the jock's muscled arm to get his attention. "Chill, man. Nobody's mocking Fenton."

Everyone was staring at Dash with a mixture of surprise and incredulity. In fact, some braver souls started to snicker at Dash, whose face started to become red with mortification. Dale was one of them. Dash sat down and buried his face in his hands.

**Unfortunately for Sam, Danny's stunt ousted her message from everyone's mind. Tucker was also laughing and clapping from the sidelines.**

Dash groaned hearing the snickers aimed at him. Lancer patted his back, giving the jock a genuine smile.

" **Woohoo! Take it off!" he shouted. Seeing Sam's glare, he quickly continued, "No seriously, you should take it off. That's weird."**

"Oh my gosh! Did he take _it_ off after this?" asked an excited female freshman who had not entered Casper when it happened. Many other female freshmen also broke into grins.

"Nope, sorry!" answered a junior. She gave a sympathetic glance to her juniors.

Kwan looked around. "Um…what?"

**The screen faded out to black, as usual when the theme song was about to be played.**

"What a bust. Surely in one of these episodes we get to see _someone_ shirtless?"

Kwan choked in his breath.

**The theme song played.**

**.**

**Black Van's Interior, Amity Park, 20.30 p.m.**

Paulina Sanchez was feeling hot. No, not like _hot_ as in she was _hot_ — she was already _that_ all the time like her boy admirers often told her — but she was actually sweating in the worst possible places. Ew.

Hadn't these hooligans ever heard of air conditioners? Or better yet, why didn't they think of applying deodorant before going outside? From the smell of it, Paulina thought not. She wrinkled her nose for like, a thousandth time that night, trying not to sniff the suffocating air inside the van. There were three men quietly conversing in the back seats — four if she counted the driver. As for what conversation were they engaged in, she couldn't care less. There was only one thought that mattered.

 _What takes the ghost boy so long?_ Paulina sighed heavily as she crossed her arms, averting her gaze to the black-tinted window. A tiny voice in her head started to taunt her, playing to her well-hidden insecurity. She squeezed it down mercilessly. _No, he must be searching for me now. Then, when he finds me, we'll be the perfect couple! Me and Inviso—umm Danny. Sí, me and Danny are destined together!_ Sighing dreamily, the girl started to imagine possible "saving" scenarios.

The sigh attracted the attention of the men, who, unbeknownst to Paulina, had been getting increasingly irritated at the situation. Two of the men were wearing a ski mask each, so their features were unrecognizable. The third, however, looked like the leader of this little gang. He hadn't had any mask on. A bald head was obscured under a black beanie. Interestingly, he had a dusty white suit on, while a pair of thick glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. A first impression of him would definitely not be a common 'hooligan', but an educated man who was not suited for this thug life.

This man also happened to have a laptop on his lap, the screen showing the infamous show.

"Girl," thug number one said roughly, "About your relationship with ghost freak…"

"Don't call him a freak!" screeched Paulina, glaring at the guy. She recoiled in fear when thug number two suddenly had an anger spike and raised a hand.

The man calmly raised his hand to prevent the thug from getting physical. "Now now, Gus, violence is not the way to make this young lady cooperate, isn't it, Miss Sanchez?" He sent a charming smile to Paulina's direction, making her tense body relax.

Paulina smiled a winning smile back. "What do you want to ask about my…boyfriend? We are in love with each other, stupid." She glared at the thug who first questioned her, like he was wrong for even asking that question.

"Yes, yes," said the man with nonchalance, before tilting his laptop to show Paulina the ongoing show. "The thing is, your _boyfriend_ "—his mouth curled into a strange smile when saying the word—"had not mentioned anything about you at all in the past hour. One would think that is curious."

The girl stiffened. "He didn't mention _me_? Oh! Like many great relationship, ours took time to develop, that's all."

Thug number one spoke up again, "Boss, I think she's lying."

"I'm not!"

"Of course, you aren't, Miss Sanchez," assured the man. "Now, I'm also quite curious about your other classmate. The goth—Sam's her name, isn't it?"

Paulina's eyes became hateful. "She's...a bitch, a basic and plain bitch. She's nobody important."

"She was also around your boyfriend remarkably a lot in these videos."

"She always plans on stealing Danny from me. What a loser, right?" Paulina smiled with only a hint of uncertainty. "True love always wins in the end."

The man looked down and started to fumble with the laptop a bit. He pulled down the video and opened a site hosting the re-runs and live streaming of the evening news. "See this?" He showed a news excerpt to the girl. It was the footage of the evening's house fire. "Your boyfriend messed his act up. Badly. You see, I'm of the belief that 'heroes' aren't supposed to mess up."

Paulina gaped as she watched the news re-run. At the end of the video, her eyes watered seeing the state of the ghost boy she was in love with was in. The man then clicked on another link. This time it was an article from _The Economic Times_ , published just hours ago.

...

**Ghost Research in High Demand**

Countries around the world finally started to act after the reality following the "Disasteroid" have sunk in. Ghosts live among us, and they have been for quite a time. Investigations have been launched against the local government of Amity Park, USA for their part in supporting the aptly-named "criminal of the Earth", ex-mayor Vladimir Masters/Plasmius; and for the alleged cover-ups of ghost-related incidents.

Representatives from several countries have also released statements of their mutual interest on ghost studies. At the moment, the discipline of paranormal science has so far been limited in scope and questionable in its accuracy. Nevertheless, this doesn't deter countries from seeking alternatives. Igor Petrovich, the Russian Federation's Ambassador to the United States, spoke out during yesterday's press conference, stating, "Our government is committed to establish new boundaries in the field of paranormal science, especially in the turn of recent events. We will gladly give grants for scientists interested in our vision." It was reported that the Kremlin has already opened the bid up to US$ 60,000.

...

Paulina looked up. Her mind felt like an omelet that was over-fried. "Uh…"

"I'm changing my plan, Miss Sanchez. Why settle for 100 grand when my brilliance can be sold for much more?" smiled the man. "My original plan to confront the ghost boy at the docks tomorrow has too many variables I can't afford to let loose. Now that the first kill's been made, this will have to do."

"First kill?" Paulina asked, horrified. Unnoticed by her, the thugs were pointing at her back. After that, thug number two asked, "Boss, but she—"

The man shook his head, while Paulina turned her head to stare in confusion at the thugs. "As I said, I have better plans."

"But….do I still get to act—fall into his arms and other stuff? You hooligans are still going to photo-shoot us, right?" asked Paulina and then her eyes widened in realization. "Oh bummer, my hair is like, totally not ready!"

Paulina turned her body to face the black-tinted window, staring at her blurry silhouette and using her fingers to comb her hair — just before the men couldn't help rolling their eyes.

"Oh yes, girl," the man said, eyes twitching at the word "hooligans". "Prepare yourself. This is going to be the best photo- _shoot._ "

He secretly rubbed the handle of a semi-automatic pistol hidden under the fold of his white suit. It was located next to the pocket containing the GiW tracking apparatus that he'd…illegally acquired.

.

**City Hall Complex, Central Amity Park, 20.32 p.m.**

A cool night breeze blew gently over the deserted complex. The usually crowded block was the place where the city's political activities were centralized. If you squinted your eyes slightly, the lavish manor of the mayor could be seen in the near distance, a relic — and a waste of taxpayers' money — of ex-Mayor Masters. Since Mayor Montez had taken charge as the emergency manager, and subsequently the officially re-elected mayor, the building would soon be either demolished or converted into something else. That was one of his campaign promises.

A statue of Danny Phantom stood proudly in the central park. It bore a surprising resemblance to the ghost hero in person, from the black-and-white color scheme, the stylized "DP" symbol on its chest, to the determined expression on its face. The statue had one hand lifted up, supporting a replica of the globe— such a grandiose symbolism proposed by the re-elected mayor. The contract signing and building of the statue were done incredibly quickly. It was as if the city of Amity Park was ready to be on the spotlight of the world.

Danny chose to express his displeasure passive-aggressively by not attending the unveiling ceremony.

.

He was currently standing stiffly under the canopy of a tree, staring up at the larger-than-life statue. The palms of his hands were glowing green, illuminating the area around him by their glow. He was tempted — so very, very tempted — to just let the energy out and aim it at the make-believe version of himself.

_Atlas needs both hands and his shoulders to hold the world. Who am I trying to fool, trying to hold it in one hand?_

_You're just setting yourself up to failure, Fenton,_ his conscience continuously screamed at him. _Once a failure, always a failure._

_Why am I even trying?_

Danny honestly didn't understand why he was hurting so much. There was a hole in his chest that he couldn't locate–that he couldn't fix. His mind was reeling and his body felt numb all over. There was a heavy weight in his stomach that made itself known as he was flying haphazardly. Gravity seemed to choke him in its hold even though he was in ghost form.

Another wave of memories — of flaming embers, burning flesh, and bones-turning-to-ashes — flashed across his mind, making him cry out involuntarily. The green energy in his palms shot forward uncontrollably, thankfully hitting some overgrown shrubs harmlessly. His eyes felt hot, so he settled on glaring at the insufferable image resolutely.

.

"There he is!"

"Danny!"

Sam slowed down her run to a stop just a few meters away from him. Tucker was a bit behind as he had to lock the car's doors. Their eyes met, but Sam quickly broke eye contact as her eyes scanned him up and down.

"Tucker!" she shouted, "There's a first-aid kit in my bag. Bring it here!"

Danny's lips quirked up in a small smile. "Heya, Sam. Great night for stargazing, don't you think?"

Walking forward, Sam's face showed her slight exasperation. "You're not fooling anybody, Danny. C'mere. You've got burns all over your body."

Sam apparently chose the absolute wrong thing to say, because the temperature in the area suddenly dropped down — a sign she recognized as Danny losing his hold over his core — freezing her breath and making ice crystals appear under Danny's boots.

Danny's eyes were closed and he seemed to be breathing heavily. While Sam would've let Danny take his time to recover, but she couldn't. The cold was already penetrating her mind.

"D–Danny! Snap o–out of it!"

It went away as fast as it came. Danny opened his eyes and stared at Sam guiltily, before averting his eyes. "You know what, Sam. I'm only hurting you by being here." He started to drift away.

"No!" Sam stated fiercely. She came even closer and grasped Danny's arm, effectively preventing him from flying away. "You don't get to run away. You can talk to me, Danny."

"Sam, I just need some time alone. I'll be okay."

"I know what happened," she blurted out, watching as his eyes widened. "It's…it's _awful_ , but it's not your fault. I know you long enough to know you're blaming yourself."

"I could have—"

"You could have _what_?" challenged Sam. "Revive the dead? Magically make the fire disappear? I'm sorry but ghost powers aren't that cool."

He gave her a small, sad snort. "I could have stopped trying to take part in things I barely understand. There was a fight with Skulker, Sam. I don't know why he shot that missile at the house, but that's what started the fire in the first place. Mr. O'Neal wouldn't have died if I wasn't there."

There was something in Danny's gaze, something so vulnerable that Sam couldn't help but reaching up and pulled him into a hug. Her head barely reached a spot above his shoulders now, and she forced his stiff posture to relax. Danny trembled a bit before shifting his body to accommodate hers, and Sam felt herself being pulled into a tighter embrace.

"It's a total accident, then," she whispered.

The head beneath her hand moved slightly from side to side. "No, it's not. I couldn't save him."

"Nobody expects you to."

"You didn't–didn't see their faces, Sam." He let out something that sounded suspiciously like a sob. "There was this girl and she—her face when her dad didn't make it out alive…"

"That's—sad…and I feel sorry for her. But you've already tried your best."

"It wasn't good enough!"

Sam abruptly pulled away, shocked. However, Danny took that as a sign of confirmation. He looked at her, green eyes dull and brimming with moisture, before looking down. "I'm—I'm not good enough," Danny mumbled, "never good enough."

Finally, Sam watched in alarm as Danny gave in, wrapping his arms around his own body, and he started to crumple. A few tears escaped his eyes while he continued to look down, shaking. She knew Danny was kind of a closet sobber, so for him to be this _rattled_ to tears, it was something that worried her immensely.

"Oh, Danny," she whispered. She pulled his head down to her shoulder, her fingers entangling themselves in his white hair. Danny clutched onto her like a life line, his sobs getting increasingly freer by the seconds. Rocking their bodies slightly, Sam whispered, "Just let it out."

It was the first time that she could remember seeing Danny breaking down. He'd always held it together even after the portal accident totally changed their lives. Sam felt her heart a little bit broken seeing him like this. Over Danny's shoulder, she saw Tucker in the distance, giving them their space. Never had she felt any more grateful of the techno-geek's sometimes-surprising consideration.

There was no word needed to be spoken in their companionship — just two teenagers, trying to support each other against the harsh realities of the world.

Sam pulled out a bit and put her hands on both sides of Danny's face. "You listen to me now," she said, gazing intensely at his eyes. She disliked the hopelessness she found in them. "I'm not gonna let you put yourself down, Danny. Shit happens, but nobody wants you to stick your head inside that shit and never come out."

Danny gave her a half-smile hearing that strange analogy.

"You're more than good enough. I know that, and if you don't believe that, then at least don't take my words for granted."

Her heart warmed when the words seemed to get through the boy. Danny's face brightened considerably. He gave her a shy smile before unexpectedly nuzzling her nose with his, making bats fluttering in her stomach.

"I'm being such a baby, am I?" said Danny hoarsely.

Sam gave him a flat look. "Nah, you're just one big sad puppy."

Danny's eyes glittered with amusement. He gave her a fond smile. His face was closer and closer, and Sam smiled against her will as their lips met—

"Now, isn't this just _precious_?"

.

The couple immediately broke apart and jumped away from each other. The sound of clapping continued even after the silky voice had uttered the words. Sam took the initiative to stand in front of Danny while the ghost boy tried hastily to recover from his recent bouts of weakness.

A bald man was smirking at them while Tucker was being restrained behind by a man in a ski mask. Tuck's eyes were bulging as he struggled against his captor, not making a sound as his mouth was clamped shut by a wool-gloved hand.

"Who the hell?" Sam growled lowly. The situation started to make a horrible sense on her.

"Forgive me for the lack of introduction," the stranger smiled. "I am in a state of surprise, you see, seeing that I caught the wrong girl, or is it that Danny Phantom's been cheating with you while he has a girlfriend to rescue?" He looked mockingly at Danny. The boy was staring at a spot in the far right side.

There was a pause as Sam frowned in confusion. "Wrong girl, wha—"

"They have Paulina, Sam," Danny said suddenly, staring unwavering at the dark vegetation-covered spot to the right of them.

"Bravo!" the man exclaimed gleefully. He gave a slight nod to the right, and another man in a ski mask dragged with him a wiggling Paulina. Her face was morphed into a pout, while tears were streaming down from her eyes.

"Ghost boy!" screamed Paulina. "They're hurting me! Save me please!"

"But I'm not here tonight to discuss the intricacies of teenage romance," continued the man. "It doesn't matter. A bait is only a bait, as long as it serves the purpose."

Sam growled at the insinuation. "Aren't you supposed to set up the meeting tomorrow at the docks?" She felt Danny move slightly behind her, and desperately hoped he had a plan, since their position right now was stuck between a captive Tucker and Paulina while facing a complete unknown. "Who the hell are you?"

"Ah, can't you tell? I have the white suit on, a souvenir–I'll say– from the organization I used to work before. Perhaps it is the lack of sunglasses that put you off?"

"You're a Guy-in-White," deduced Sam.

"Dearie, you're certainly an intellectual delight compared to the other girl"—Paulina stopped wiggling and exclaimed an affronted note, which was ignored—"Agent M, at your pleasure, or Doctor Matthews I would prefer, since the Guys-in-White is not worthy anymore to hold my interest."

There were grunting sounds on their left. Out of curiosity, Sam averted her eyes from the seemingly-harmless and chatty character in front of her to look. The thug holding Tucker was held by glowing strings of green ectoplasm on the ground. His hands and ankles were bound in similar manner. There was also a firm layer of ghost ice on his mouth — the man couldn't even let out any small sound because his tongue was numb with cold. Tucker was rubbing his sleeve hard against his mouth, his disgust being evident to all.

Danny hadn't moved an inch behind her.

Matthews clapped again, surprising the members of Team Phantom. "Ooooh, bravo again! Duplication, isn't it?"

A second Phantom phased into the plane of visibility behind the bound man. He gave Matthews a steely glare and walked slowly to the duplicate behind Sam, never once taking his eyes off the man. The original and duplicate then became one.

"What do you want?" asked Danny.

"Why, I'm simply _dying_ to meet you! I cannot wait until tomorrow, you see. Fortunately, a certain… _event_ forced my hand to move the plan sooner. You can say I'm _dying_ to know the answers that only you can provide me." Matthews paused and shrugged. "I'm saying it figuratively, of course, and if you cooperate, there won't be any need of a second death tonight, Phantom. Let's keep the _dying_ to a minimum."

Danny's sharp intake of breath could be heard by everyone.

"Excuse me?" Sam spoke out. "Do you think you can threaten us and get away with it?"

"Yeah," joined in Tucker, frowning as he waved his PDA. "I've had everything you said under record. We're gonna report you to the authorities."

"But what I'm doing is for the good of mankind, children," Matthews placated. "Your friend here"— he nodded to Danny—"have a powerful ability. An ability that can easily be used to save a man from a house fire, correct?"

The ex-GiW smirked when he saw two teens snarling at him, while his target was seemingly frozen, eerily mimicking the statue behind him.

"Danny," whined a voice from their right all of a sudden, "I'm still right here in this hooligan's smelly armpits! I'm gonna die if you don't hurry!"

The so-called hooligan didn't appreciate her words, so he roared several curse words at his captive and tightened his hold. Paulina cried out and elbowed his manhood, making the thug groan and loosen his hold. She didn't escape, however, choosing to let out several tears that passed through her wrinkling nose.

"Shake him off, you bimbo!" Sam yelled exasperatedly.

Paulina scowled and shot back, "Are your eyes so blind that you can't see I can't? _Idiota_!"

"Oh no! You're not—"

"SILENCE!" Matthews roared. There was a visible pulsating vein in his bald temple. "Now, I will just cut to the chase. I'm here to help you preventing another mistake — fatal mistake — if you just give me the secret. You are not so egoistic to think that you're the only one who can use ghost powers, aren't you? Especially now that you've failed so badly?"

Phantom had visibly flinched hearing the words that had also been echoed by his accusing conscience.

"Bullshit," Tucker expressed.

"Don't listen to this insane man, Danny!" Sam said.

Danny responded with a question, "What secret?" His face was carefully blank.

The man calmly pulled out his phone and pressed a button. A song played. It was a recording of the show's theme, but he only played a part of it.

"… _When it didn't quite work, his folks, they just quit…But then Danny took a look inside of it….There was a great big flash, everything just changed….His molecules got all rearranged…"_

Matthews stopped the recording. "I need to know more than this. How can a human like you have ghost powers?"

Phantom took a deep breath and gave the man his most sardonic smile. "Well, it's already clear! A great big flash? That's actually me dying."

"Please. You're still somehow alive, so that counts for something. A lot of people die, but their molecules do not get rearranged. A lot of people are electrocuted, but they don't become a ghost." Matthews narrowed his eyes. "It's something to do with the way you died, isn't it? How did you exactly die, Phantom? What's the 'X' factor?"

The ghost boy gave a mirthless chuckle. "That's awfully intrusive of you, uh…Doctor Matthews, isn't it? I thought you were not a GiW anymore."

"Answer the damn question!" said the increasingly agitated doctor. "Imagine the possibility of half-ghosts being created in the near future."

Silence.

"You…honestly thought I would tell you how you can kill people in order to make them into a half-ghost like me?" His hands blazed with ectoplasm. "What part of _dying_ , don't you understand!? Forget it. You're much more of a fruitloop than Vlad."

Matthews raised his eyebrows. "You've been warned, and I don't respond well to refusal."

With that, he nodded at the man holding Paulina. Paulina gasped as she was manhandled and pushed with great force toward Phantom's direction. The half-ghost hurriedly extinguished the ectoplasmic glow and tried to catch her; but, in doing so, he made the mistake of taking his eyes off Matthews. Paulina did nothing to prevent her fall because she was making exaggerated gestures — her sighing was cut short when she heard a sound that didn't resemble a camera click at all; rather, it was the sound of a gun cocking.

.

Smirking as he did so, Matthews took a quick aim at the annoying girl-bait and fired. Quick and easy. _Oh, this sure will be riveting_.

.

And the result was….there was no shrieking and bleeding girl on the ground. _What?_ The teens were staring at his direction with gaping mouths, including Sanchez who was unbelievably hole-less. _That can't be right_. Matthews' head slowly turned to register Phantom standing right in front of him, one hand outstretched with the palm dripping ectoplasm. The gun was still smoking. _Oh bugger me._

The shot failed. _Or was it?_

It was maybe due to the way Phantom stared at him, like he was something more despicable than the worst scum of the earth. It was maybe the way the air seemed to cool down rapidly — and he didn't understand why. _Is there a storm coming?_ It was maybe the way he suddenly registered that the being in front of him was something inhuman, for all his diatribes he had genuinely believed _Danny Fenton_ was just a kid unworthy of having ghost powers.

The impeccable Doctor Matthews hence panicked. His finger unconsciously pulled on the trigger repeatedly…..with no result. He realized belatedly that there was ice covering the muzzle. _Huh? What the?_ And something flew onto him, tackling him backward through the air, before then slamming his back into a tree. Matthews gasped as he felt a cold hand choking his neck.

The doctor opened his eyes to see a burning pair of emerald fires, and he almost shivered seeing the fury in them. "I'm not gonna let anybody else die under my watch," Phantom's voice sounded more ghostly than usual. "Do you think that I won't do something to you after what you just did?" There was an uncharacteristic smirk on the half-ghost's face. "You have no idea how scary a ghost like me can be."

The hand on his neck glowed and he felt it burn him. The ghost boy's other hand — which had a bullet hole in it — was raised and ready to strike him. Matthews screamed in both pain and fright.

For Danny, a strange thing happened. He was still overcome by his anger when Matthews made an eye contact. Then, he remembered thinking that he wanted this guy to taste his own medicine — to have his life intruded upon just like he'd asked of Danny. His powers somehow acted up. It pulled him, with a sensation similar when his physical body was pulled in to overshadow someone, into Matthews' mind. Danny experienced jumbled thoughts for a short while, before he unexpectedly stared up at himself. He was a very scary, almost unrecognizable version of himself.

_He is staring through Matthews' eyes._

"Danny, stop!"

"Dude, he's not worth it!"

_A siphoning sensation. His senses are back again. He now stares down at his victim._

There was a silence in the park, when everyone watched the half-ghost boy visibly forcing himself to stop. His arm was still raised and there was a steady drip of ectoplasm despite the half-formed ecto-ray coating it. Matthews's screaming was reduced to whimpers. His neck hurt so much. He was going to die without getting the answers he wanted — without getting back at the organization that had discharged him so dishonorably.

Phantom dropped the shaking man on the ground, stumbling back. He seemed to be in disbelief of what he almost did. Running his unwounded hand through his hair, the ghost hero turned around without another word, and walked away.

"Danny." Sam immediately came to his side, walking alongside him and grabbing the hand with the bullet hole. He gave her a weak smile.

"Let's get back to Casper, Sam."

Sam nodded to show her understanding. Tucker started to follow behind them, keeping an eye on Paulina who looked incensed at being ignored. For good measure, Tucker kicked his bound captor, and gave a mocking grin at the other thug — who looked shaken seeing what happened to his boss.

"D-danny!" The beauty queen found her voice and sent a charming smile at Danny, hurrying up quickly to catch the group. "Ah! You saved me! That was so cool! I love scary—"

"Paulina," Tucker interjected. "Just shut up, okay?"

"Oh I don't listen to loser like—"

"Shut. the. hell. up."

The too-serious techno-geek finally managed to scare the beauty queen into silence.

.

.

Meanwhile, the dizzy doctor was still trying to re-orient himself. He was slumped in an undignified manner on the ground.

"Boss?" thug number one hesitantly asked. The thug was crouching over his bound friend. "Any idea how to break the freak's bonds? We're asking for a double payment by the way. This isn't what you said in the contract."

Matthews growled as he messaged his temple. "Dumbass. You're all dumbass. Why didn't you help me, eh?"

Since the other thug's mouth was still frozen, the same thug answered again, "Not crazy enough to go against _that_. You should've stuck to the original plan. Now we won't even get that 100 grand. Great job, oh mastermind."

"Watch it," warned Matthews, standing up. "Your criminal sheets are still in my hands. For that money, I still say that not all hope is lost…"

He eyed the glowing green droplets splattered on the ground. Matthews started to smile slowly.

"Bingo."

.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.33 p.m.**

Everyone had just ended their recital of the theme song — a messier and noisier affair that was on a par with how soccer fans around the world sang their team's national anthem at the beginning of a match. Nobody really registered that they were essentially watching a watered-down version of how their classmate was electrocuted, over and over again. The next verses about the cool powers always obscured the horror.

**The camera faded in to a shot of Casper High again. Sam and Tucker were berating Danny for his stunt at the assembly.**

" **Thanks to your little dress-up parade, my 'Save the Frogs!' presentation was a total bust!" exclaimed the angry goth.**

" **And speaking of bust," Tucker said while raising an eyebrow, "did you see Danny in that bra? Puce is not your color, pal."**

"Yeah!" Nathan exclaimed. "More like black and white!"

"No! It's green!"

"I dunno, I'm sure it's blue, guys!"

Some students snickered seeing the useless debate. Dash saw his chance to join in. He was a bit confused why it was now a bit awkward for him to join the crowd.

"Have you all seen Fenton's locker?" blurted out a grinning Dash. "He has blue all over it. His book covers are blue. His stationery is blue. So, it's blue," he declared with his usual 'king-of-casper-high' smugness.

Dale mock-gasped. "Oooh, I remember the way you shoved Fenton into his locker. He's the color of puce all over, right? So, it's actually puce."

The teachers, and most of the students, glared at Dash. Dash looked down.

**They followed Danny to a battered locker that was covered in criss-crossing yellow caution tape.**

" **Yeah, and now because that idiot Box Ghost trashed my locker, I've been assigned to a new one." Danny looked down to a piece of paper he'd been carrying. His new locker number was written there. "Locker 724."**

**Sam and Tucker gasped dramatically.**

The students, and some of the teachers, gasped dramatically too.

"This is certainly interesting," said Debby from the Casper Hi-Lites newspaper staffs. "We get to see what the mystery is behind that locker!"

Many nodded in agreement.

Lancer, the assigner of Danny's locker, tutted in disapproval. "It is just another locker, students. There is no 'mystery', for the love of _A Study in Scarlett_."

**Tucker pointed at something behind Danny. It was another battered locker bearing the label "724". At least this one did not have any tape on it.**

" **Guys," Danny said, coming over and putting a hand on the locker. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. Or"—he backtracked sheepishly—"something really scary that we _don't_ see every single day."**

Many girls in the room "aww-ed", but most people snickered at Danny's slip of tongue.

"He didn't just forget that, did he?" Star said, giggling.

" **Hello," said an incredulous Tucker. "Locker 724? How did you _not_ know the legend of Locker 724?"**

Lancer huffed. "Apparently, even Mister Fenton agreed with me."

"Oh Willy," Tetslaff said in jest, "took you long enough to admit you have Danny Fenton's special brand of cluelessness."

Lancer smiled. "Well, I"—his smile dropped when his mind registered the meaning—" _Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants_!"

**Danny opened the locker. The interior was dirty and laden with cobwebs. He ignored those and moved to touch a single mirror fixed at the back. He turned to his friends. "What's the big deal about 724?"**

**Suddenly, a pink-and-white hair — complete with the _My Fair Lady_ wig — was placed on Danny's head.**

" **You left something behind, Fenton!" Dash exclaimed, and laughed. Behind him, there were Dale and a red-head jock. They were also cackling at the smaller boy's predicament.**

Dash winced, but Dale and the red-head jock, Steve, were trying to hold their guffaws instead.

" **Let's see if it fits in your new locker," continued Dash, "with you inside!" He promptly grabbed Danny and threw him into the locker, slamming the door shut. They left the scene, laughing.**

Every teacher was wearing a dismayed expression, beating themselves up for not noticing this blatant act of bullying. Lancer, in particular, was speechless and pale with guilt.

The students, on the other hand, started to throw small projectiles – which were mostly popcorns – at the bully. Dash cringed and tried to avoid them. He was also receiving a lot of "boo's".

**Tucker and Sam came and opened the locker's door.**

" **I was going to say the locker was cursed, but"—Danny fell out of it, wearing an angry expression —"I think you figured that out."**

**He stood up. "I'll show ya' _cursed_!" He grabbed Sam and Tucker to provide cover. "Cover me." There was a flash of light as he went ghost.**

**Invisibly, the ghost boy flew down the hall fast, slamming into the unaware Dash and overshadowing him. Dash screamed in surprise. Dash/Danny slammed his upper body to the lockers repeatedly, to the confusion of the jocks watching. For the finale, he dunked his head into a janitor's mop bucket. Danny left the body.**

Most people had their mouths agape watching the scene.

"It's justified, I guess…?" Mikey said hesitantly.

Some of the most ardent Phantom phanatics — who had inadvertently put him on a pedestal — oozed disappointment that the whole school could see. Nathan was included in this category.

The teachers, however, were torn. After all, Danny did it in retaliation. It was actually them who were at fault for not taking action against Casper's bullying problems.

Dale and Steve were currently sniggering among themselves, glancing surreptitiously at Dash who was red in the face. Whether it was due to anger or embarrassment, nobody knew, for the jock chose not to say anything — unusual and disconcerting, for Dash.

Kwan buried his head on his palms.

**Still invisible, Danny flew above the confused crowd surrounding Dash, and turned back into Fenton in front of Sam and Tucker. Tucker happily high-fived him, while Sam was frowning.**

" **Danny," she admonished.**

" **Relax, Sam," Tucker placated in Danny's defense. "It's about time you used that Phantom advantage for some ghostly get-back."**

**The trio walked away.**

**Meanwhile, the camera started to zoom in to Danny's new locker. There was a creepy, echoing voice from inside. "Bullies….bullies…..!"**

"Oh. My. Gosh!" gasped Debby. It was echoed by many among the audience. "The legend was true?"

A friend gave her a pat on the back, eyes still fixated on the screen. "Guess we'll find out soon! And boy, the newspaper's gonna have a lot of materials for publishing!"

.

**Foley's Residence, 20.35 p.m.**

Maddie looked down at her note, the note containing a list of things she wanted to confront her son about. So far, she only wrote down "overshadowing", while the next thing on the list, "impermissible garage sale" was crossed out because she could justify Danny's desire of being popular. He also had learned his lesson. She was proud because her baby boy had a good sense of right and wrong, but she was sad that only now she could recognize it.

She decided not to put Danny's ghostly payback to Dash on the list.

**At Fentonworks, the family was doing their usual activities. Jack and Maddie were tinkering with inventions at the dinner table (Jack was actually multitasking it with eating), while Jazz was absorbed in a book — most likely a psychology-related book. Danny, as per usual, stepped into the scene.**

**Stabbing a bacon and putting it in his mouth, Jack addressed his son, "So, Danny! What's this I hear about you getting a new locker?"**

"Why so suspicious, Jack?" Maurice said, snickering.

"Because of ghosts!" Jack and Jazz said together without knowing. In Jack's case, it was an honest answer, while in Jazz's, it was said with amusement. Both father and daughter looked at each other and laughed.

" **Oh, uh…" Danny chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "No big deal, really. Uh…nothing for you and mom to get obsessive about."**

" **Why?" Jack stood up. "Is it _haunted_!?"**

Maddie and Angela giggled.

" **Don't worry, son!" Maddie looked up from her invention. "You'll barely even notice us while we're staking out that locker during normal school hours."**

Maurice snickered. "Got any ghost trouble? Haunted halls and flying school books? Call 1-800-the Fenton! Oh man, you guys are a family of ghostbusters!"

Jack and Maddie grinned.

"Uh…not me!" Jazz said. "I'm a ghost psychologist!"

"Don't see any difference, princess!"

Jazz rolled her eyes, smiling.

" **What!" Jazz exclaimed, dropping her book. She came over to hug Danny protectively. "No! Danny is at a very critical stage in the development of his peer groups. He's already considered a clumsy nerd. The last thing he needs is you two confirming it."**

" **Nice defense, Jazz," Danny said, dryly. "Total confidence-builder."**

"Poor baby," Maddie said, "but at least he's much more confident now, isn't he?"

"Yep, my son's saving the world like that." Jack wiped a tear from his eye. "Makes his old man proud."

"Well, he usually tells me when he has issues," Jazz answered. Then, she bit her lip. "Usually."

**The invention Maddie was busy tinkering turned out to be a pair of gauntlets. In an excited manner, Jack grabbed them and put them on. He wanted to show off to his children. Jack bumped his fists together and swung them around, mimicking a boxer.**

" **And the best part is, thanks to the new ghost gloves, when that ghost comes out of that locker, I can spar with it mono-a-ghost-o."**

Maurice did a cat-call, impressed. Jack drew a wide grin.

**Next, Jack punched a column of pipes, breaking it down. He raised his arms in victory, only to have more pipes from the ceiling falling down on him.**

"Uh….no," Angela smiled sympathetically.

"We needed to clear out the ceiling anyway," Jack said, shrugging.

Maddie patted him on the arm. "Next time, try not to bring the whole house down, dear."

"There is a next time?" Jazz said, aghast.

**The siblings watched the whole commotion without as much as a blink. Jazz put a hand on Danny's shoulder.**

" **Don't worry. Maybe girls will talk to you in college."**

**Danny furrowed his brows.**

Both families had a laugh at Danny's predicament.

"As long as he keeps his pants up!" guffawed Maurice, slapping his knees. He and Jack immediately fell into more laughter.

The women watched, sighing fondly at the men's low-quality jokes.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.37 p.m.**

At Danny and Sam's insistence, the four students tried to sneak quietly into the court. It was in the middle of the viewing so they didn't really want to cause a commotion. They would have thought to utilize Danny's ghost powers if not for the fact that Danny was already too spent. The weakest link in the group, obviously, was Paulina. Fortunately, the A-Lister was a bit quiet for now.

When they were in the car — Paulina was the one driving because of her relative experience compared to the three — Sam had pulled the bullet out of Danny's palm and bandaged it tight. They were mostly silent during the whole ride, while Paulina awkwardly tried to start a small talk again and again at the beginning. The trio was just too exhausted. The night was an emotional — and physical, for Danny — roller coaster for them. Paulina quieted down soon enough when she saw the state of Danny's hand.

**Danny furrowed his brows.**

**The scene transitioned to the hallway of Casper High again, with a shot of Danny in front of his locker. He looked sideways when he heard Dale's voice.**

" **Hey, Tubby the Tuba!" Dale and another stocky jock were ganging up on a marching band club member. Dale grabbed the student's shako. "Nice shako!" He twisted it in the band member's ear. "Does it remove earwax, too?"**

Among the crowd, "Tubby the Tuba" — whose real name was actually Joe — wiped his glasses and smiled sadly. His band member friends immediately went to comfort him.

Lancer glowered at the bully. "Snyder…"

**Angrily, Danny slammed his locker shut and walked off, unable to actually do something without jeopardizing his secret. But the locker began to glow green and there was that voice again. "Bullies…."**

**Dale threw the shako to his friend. They went back and forth as Joe struggled to catch it.**

" **Go long!" The shako was tossed far into the hall like a football. Dale ran to catch it, smirking. When he passed locker 724, the door suddenly flew open, hitting him in the face. He fell down with one black eye and one missing teeth. The shako fell on top of his head.**

The nerds and marching band members cheered. They were actually standing up in unison. Joe "Tubby the Tuba" received pats on the back. He looked like he wanted to cry in happiness; it was like his birthday and Christmas merged into one.

Dale grumbled, feeling the glares of the people in the room.

**A red-haired boy wearing glasses was pushing a cart that had a projector on it. A dainty foot stopped his way. Paulina leaned in and smiled flirtatiously.**

" **I'm so fascinated by AV equipment. Can you show me how it works?" Kwan had snuck up behind the boy while Paulina flirted. He tied the boy's shoelaces together.**

"W-wait!" Nigel, the red-headed boy on the screen, stammered. "You did that to my shoes? Why didn't I know that?"

Kwan grimaced. "Sorry, man."

Lancer sent Kwan an approving glance; he was waiting for Mr. Snyder to do the same.

**The locker glowed green again. "Bullies…." Green energy was sent using the walls and ceiling as the conduits. It went to a trophy cup that glowed upon contact. The cup fell on Kwan's head. The jock stumbled backward, hitting a fire extinguisher case. The case opened up, and the extinguisher fell out of it, spewing a cloud of foam everywhere, before some concentrated foam went toward Paulina. The girl screamed as she fell.**

**The green energy also untied the shoelaces so that they wouldn't trip Nigel. The computer nerd looked around and shrugged, before he went back to walking.**

Nigel made a loud sound of understanding. The nerds, again, started to cheer for him. Since the boy was quite scrawny (in comparison to Joe "Tubby the Tuba"), someone had the initiative to lift the boy up to have him doing a mini crowd surf — but only among a crowd of nerds. Nigel shrieked, half in delight and half in fear.

"Why are you cheering for him? I'm the one who had to shampoo my hair seven times a day! For a week!"

.

The audience quieted, before they turned, shocked, toward Paulina who had slapped a hand on her mouth.

"PAULINA?!"

That meant…..the crowd, again all at once, laid their eyes on a blue-eyed, black-haired sheepish boy, who was rubbing the back of his neck with a bandaged hand.

"DANNY / FENTON / PHANTOM?!"

.

"Hey, what about me? Tuckerino!" Tucker gave the crowd a look. "Seriously, sidekicks have no appreciation."

He received a whack in the arm from Sam, who then resumed glowering at the girl who was practically hopeless in keeping her mouth shut.

.

.

**Guys-in-White Lab Facility, Amity Park, 20.39 p.m.**

"I'll be damned. You actually performed the plan very well," Head said to the three operatives in front of him.

Operative K, O, and L stood proudly. K acted as the spokesperson of the group. "We actually managed to perform more than well."

At his words, Skulker stepped into the room robotically. On his shoulder, the Red Huntress lay limply, her helmeted head bobbing up and down as the mechanical ghost stopped his pace.

"Target acquired. She possesses Technus' nanobots in the form of a suit." Skulker fell silent.

K said to O. "Good job. It's more like a pet than ever."

"Can you make it dance?" L asked.

O raised an eyebrow. "Affirma—"

"No!" K quickly put a hand to stop the two, glowering as he did so. He turned to Head. "How is that?"

.

Head formed his mouth into a slow, deliberate smirk. "Excellent."

.

.

**To be continued in "An End to Bullying" a.k.a. Splitting Images Part II.**

 


	12. An End to Bullying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We finally have Danny back for the viewing! I'm excited! Please let me know what you think about this chapter. Oh yeah, this chapter is one of the heaviest plot-wise, I'm sorry. I need to move the plot along to finish what I call as the first arc, before moving to the second arc (oh dear, Bitter Reunions is only two episodes away!).
> 
> Remember Operative M from the previous Guys-in-White scenes? He was the one who was fired. He is gonna be one of the major OCs in this story.

 

 

**Chapter 12: An End to Bullying**

**.**

**.**

**Previously…**

_The audience quieted, before they turned, shocked, toward Paulina who had slapped a hand on her mouth._

" _Paulina?!"_

_That meant…..the crowd, again at once, laid their eyes on a blue-eyed, black-haired sheepish boy, who was rubbing the back of his neck with a bandaged hand._

" _Danny/Fenton/Phantom?!"_

" _Hey, what about me? Tuckerino!" Tucker gave the crowd a look. "Seriously, sidekicks have no appreciation."_

_He received a whack in the arm from Sam, who then resumed glowering at the girl who was practically hopeless in keeping her mouth shut._

.

The culmination of many voices made everything indiscernible; from girls in cheerleading outfits gleefully screaming, most probably because their queen bee was back; to the questions after questions shouted by both the teachers and the student populace at the ghost hunting trio. Finally in her element, Paulina breezed through the attention like a preening swan in a circus. In comparison, Tucker and Sam were the clapping seals as they were trying, quite futilely, to organize the streams of questions and regain some semblance of control. It left poor Danny in the middle, shrinking away from the noisy assault on his sensitive ears.

"What happened?"

"You dolt, Phantom obviously rescued Paulina as you can clearly see."

"Not _that_! I'm asking _how_!"

"What about that fire? I'm confused!"

"Guys! His hand! Look at his hand!"

"So who kidnapped Sanchez?"

"That wound doesn't look like it's caused by a fire?"

"I don't care. I just wanna hear some action!"

"Manson looks mad at Sanchez. D'you suppose there'll be another beat-down?"

"QUIET!" resonated the loud speakers-amplified voice of Principal Ishiyama. A screeching feedback sound suddenly howled through the sound system, surprising even the Principal who immediately waved the microphone away from the speaker. It was the screech that actually put everybody into order.

Hearing a quiet groan beside him, Tucker reached out to pat his best friend's shoulder comfortingly.

Since the court was silenced, all eyes watched the principal as she made her way to the four teens, heels clicking loudly against the wooden floor. The woman stopped and stared at them, eyes lingering on Paulina's surprisingly immaculate appearance to Danny's rather scruffy yet mostly unharmed one. The edges of her mouth quirked upwards in a smile.

"I see you've managed to bring back Miss Sanchez safe and sound."

Danny smiled back wanly, and opened his mouth to explain — but he was suddenly crushed by a hug before the words could escape. Paulina squealed.

"Danny totally saved me! There's like, this crazy man with his smelly hooligans, and they wanted to kill me—there was a gun and everything—"

"A gun!" exclaimed the principal, worried. There were increased sounds of muttering from the others around.

Paulina yelled in anger as she was shoved to the side harshly, by an enraged Sam. "Get your hands off Danny, bitch. Don't pretend that the whole thing isn't your set-up!"

"My set-up!?" Paulina exclaimed as she scowled at the goth. "Did you see the way she immediately blames _me_ for being a more valuable person to kidnap?" Paulina addressed the crowd while pointing at Sam. "Certainly even the bad guys think I'm Danny's true love."

Unfortunately for Paulina, she was dealing with an unsympathetic crowd. A few of the students could not contain their snorts at her claim that filthy-rich Sam Manson — not that Paulina knew that though — who was the actual girlfriend to Danny Phantom, was jealous because Paulina was wrongfully kidnapped.

Mikey whispered to Nathan, "Gee, she's getting totally off her rockers."

Nathan nodded.

Accidentally hearing them, Megan rolled her eyes. Both boys did not realize the irony of them mocking Sanchez's delusions, considering Nathan's rather public obsession with Valerie Gray, and most recently, Danny Fenton. She had to hold back her giggles, however, seeing Danny's flat look in-between the bickering girls.

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any shallower, Paulina. Way to prove me wrong," retorted Sam with a mocking grin. She grabbed Danny's arm, intending to change seats away from the other girl. "Come on, Danny. We don't have to listen to her shit anymore."

Paulina grabbed Danny's other arm. "No way, I won't let you get him away to listen to your shit instead, Manson. Why can't you just put your ugly face away from true love?"

"Can't you two not fight each other and get along?" interrupted Danny suddenly. "It's getting late, and I think everyone's eager to finish this stuff. Paulina," he said before wrenching his arm out of her grasp. "You should look at yourself in the mirror before calling anybody else ugly," Danny finished quietly.

Sam gasped softly and looked at Danny in elated wonder. She followed his tug as they walked to another area, ignoring the whispers and mutters of the student body. However, some of Paulina's comments managed to get to her psyche, no matter how much she claimed she had a steel-encased heart. It must have shown in her expression, for Danny, surprisingly lacking his usual cluelessness, stopped and looked at her worriedly.

"Sam, you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just, a fight with _her_ always sucks all my mental energy," answered Sam with a shrug.

Danny snickered. "I can't believe I used to like her before. Oh man, I see what you meant by shallow as a puddle."

"Damn right," replied Sam smugly. "I was gonna say 'I told you so' but you've heard that from me too often."

Rolling his eyes, Danny sneaked an arm around her as they sat down. "I know. Sam Manson is always right." He gave an intense look at the rapidly blushing goth in the eyes, a teasing grin was on his face. "I'm sorry for being too shallow to see it, Sam. What would I do without you?"

"Probably you'd somehow drown yourself in that puddle." Feeling daring, Sam smiled and traced her fingers along his jaw. _Two can play in this game, Danny-boy._ "Speaking of which, you can give yourself a pat on the back for having migrated from clueless land."

Danny blushed and looked down. He intertwined his non-bandaged hand with hers, just as Sam moved closer to him and went in for a peck.

"Ahem," coughed Tucker. "Can you guys tone down the PDA 'cuz you kinda have an audience right now."

Sam whipped her face to glare at the snickering techno-geek, while Danny turned his horrified gaze to the amused crowd. He saw Ishiyama giving him an exasperated look from the corner of his eyes.

"Um…you can stop watching, guys." The crowd still stared at him. There was some giggling from the back. Danny started to redden again. "There's nothing interesting to see, really!" He earned more gales of laughter in response. Danny sent Ishiyama a helpless look.

"Alright, everybody! Let's leave poor Mr. Fenton alone and continue to watch"—the principal smiled slyly at her half-ghost student—"another version of Mr. Fenton on the screen."

Everybody burst out laughing, watching as "poor Mr. Fenton" groaned; and so, the show continued.

.

**The scene faded in to the cafeteria. The students were milling around. Some of them were holding a tray of food and walking to their seats. The camera zoomed in to Dale at the A-listers' table.**

"… **and all of a sudden, this locker door flies open and _nails_ me," he incredulously told his friends.**

"Oh crud, it's _this_ one?" said Danny, eyes wide in realization.

Having left the school before this 'episode' started, Tucker asked, "Which one?"

"That one, Tuck. The first time we met Poindexter."

Sam and Tucker stared in surprise at him.

"Okay, that's some mad deduction skills," Tucker said.

"What? Who else that we met some time after Skulker and uses locker doors as his mean of attacks?"

"Isn't it a little bit sad," Tucker said with a dramatic sigh, "that Danny's cluelessness only comes when girls are involved, especially you, Sam?"

"Hey!" the two lovebirds disagreed together. Their cheeks were blushing red but their faces betrayed their joy.

"Hey Fent-urd!" called Dale, taking great joy in using the insulting nickname, "I'm still totally blaming you for that freak incident! Should have clued me in that it was _you_ with how freaky it is."

"Snyder…." Dash gritted out.

But his defense was a bit unnecessary because Danny, while staring at Dale with some degree of puzzlement, replied, "Yeah, well it wasn't me." He grinned and joked, "Maybe my locker door just wanted to introduce itself to your face, and uh…I can't overshadow a locker door 'cause it has to be living you know."

It was a lame joke and it caused Dale to glare derisively at the nervously laughing Danny. Nevertheless, the dark-skinned jock refrained from saying his mind because Dash's foot was currently stepping hard on his. Mr. Lancer did nothing to interrupt the silent struggle.

**Sitting across from Dale, Paulina was busy struggling to comb her disheveled hair. There were clumps of foam coating it. "I'm gonna be brushing this stuff out of my hair for a week!" she moaned.**

Paulina frowned. "So that was caused by something ghostly after all. Don't worry Danny ' _luv'_ , I know you wouldn't have done it if you'd known it wasn't me!"

Danny, who had started to sigh in relief, immediately slapped a hand to his face. "It wasn't me," he muttered.

" **It's like...," Kwan shuddered, "this school is haunted."**

**Their conversation was heard by Danny, Sam and Tucker who occupied a nearby table. Sam turned to Danny. "Apparently, someone's been busy."**

" **It wasn't me, I swear," denied Danny. However, he suddenly turned himself intangible and flew towards Dash, overshadowing him. Dash dumped his food tray to Paulina. Danny went out of Dash's body, and then Dash looked at the food-covered Paulina in confusion, scratching his forehead. Danny flew back to his seat and gained visibility. He was smiling.**

Danny looked around to find himself the object of confused and disappointed stares. "Uh...guys, I…," he sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have misused my powers to get back at Dash. It was completely stupid and immature."

"Mr. Fenton," Lancer began sternly. "I…am able to understand why you acted as such." The students, especially Danny, looked at him in surprise.

"Will?" Ishiyama questioned hesitantly.

Lancer stood up and addressed the people in the room. "Listen, nobody can deny that Casper High School has a bullying problem—one…that has been going on for years." As he said so, Lancer swept his eyes over the A-listers. Some of them had their heads bowed, but the rest did not. "Some of these …bullies among you are protected by the school's football favoritism,"—Ishiyama glared at her vice principal disbelievingly—"or their parents having positions on the school's board of directors"—Dale's defiant smirk dropped—"or the money donated to the school's treasury."—Paulina stopped examining her nails—"Now that the issue's being raised, it is time to put a stop to it."

Some of the known victims of bullying — including Mikey, Nathan, Joe, and Nigel — started to smile.

"What is he doing?" whispered Falluca in agitation. "William's going to kill the school administration! We're dependent on our athletes and donators, remember?"

"The city and the whole world will soon hear about this by tomorrow morning no matter what," said Tetslaff quietly. "William's making a step toward the right direction."

"Yes, Mr. Snyder?" prompted Lancer at the boy who was smiling and waving his hand, as if this was a classroom setting.

"What about bullies who are protected by ghost powers, sir?"

Sam immediately stood up. "What about bullies who throw out cruel words like it's nothing for no reason at all!?"

"Yeah, leave Danny alone, Dale!" Tucker growled.

Danny put an arm on each of his best friends. He started to understand there was a problem one Dale Snyder had against him. _Really, how many people can I piss off in a single night?_

He thought idly that this was starting to become a trend. Yet, it was better to put the ghosts of the past to rest while he could. So, Danny ignored Dale and addressed Dash instead.

"Hey Dash, I'm sorry for what I did to you, like… the overshadowing and stuff," said Danny awkwardly. "You know, you weren't actually doing anything bad at the time and I did it just out of spite and…" Danny let out a puff of air, blowing his hair away from his face. "..I'm sorry."

And Dash laughed. Danny sighed in disappointment, predicting he was going to get mocked, _again_. But Dash's next words completely took him off guard, "Seriously Fenton? You're sorry!? You!?" Dash laughed again. There was a bit of a hysterical quality in his laugh. "You're like, the last person in the world to have something to be sorry for!" Dash was now struggling to breathe. "Sheesh! Is this guy for real?" He promptly burst into laughter again.

Lancer quickly intervened, throwing a withering look at the former(?) bully. "Mr. Baxter, please calm yourself down," he ordered, to the benefit of the increasingly terrified look forming on Danny Fenton's face.

Needless to say, it was a rather weird exchange for everyone involved.

**Back on the screen, Danny gestured at his recent handiwork. "Now _that_ was me."**

**Sam frowned. "Danny, I don't think you should be using your powers like"—she gasped seeing Mr. Lancer walking to the cafeteria—"Lancer! I'll be right back." Then, Sam ran off, leaving the two boys at the table.**

Lancer shot Sam a questioning look. Sam worriedly bit her bottom lip.

" **Don't listen to her, Danny," implored Tucker. "It's about time somebody struck a blow for Sidney Poindexter."**

" **Sidney…who–dexter?"**

" **Sidney Poindexter," reiterated Tucker to Danny while taking out his PDA. "Locker 724 was originally owned by a Poindexter back in the fifties." The screen suddenly blurred and turned black and white. It began playing a flashback using Tucker's narration as the voice-over.**

Tucker immediately sat up straight and directed his full attention to the video. "What the…Are you guys seeing this?"

"Seeing," replied Sam. "Completely in the dark about this techie stuff."

"This is definitely the work of a ghost," Danny said. "Oh no, I'm turning into my dad!"

"But it might be true," Tucker said, furiously typing into his PDA. "There's a high possibility that we're dealing with ghost technology again. There's just no way AP News can produce this kind of stuff."

"This flashback is kinda overkill," Sam said, "but everyone's eating it up." It was true; the crowd was completely absorbed in Poindexter's story.

**The black-and-white images painted the setting of the Casper High School class of 1955. There were myriad of students walking down the hall, dressed in the era's fashion. A slick-haired student dressed in a white shirt – tucked neatly into his high waisted pants – adjusted his bowtie as he stared at the mirror inside his locker. He wore a pair of round rimmed glasses, completing the overall nerdy impression.**

" **Poindexter was the victim of more cruel pranks than anyone in the history of Casper High School…"**

**As Poindexter slammed his locker shut and walked down the hall, a student put a "Kick Me" sign on his back. Thinking that the bully had only slammed him in the back, Poindexter continued walking, unaware of the sign.**

" **Apparently, picking on him was a graduation requirement…"**

**The scene changed to the school courtyard. A group of boys — one of them was the earlier bully — directed a small boy to the oblivious Poindexter who was smelling flowers. The small boy kicked him from behind, laughing as the poor nerd stumbled and fell. There was another scene change. Poindexter was being shoved into his locker.**

" **He got stuffed into his locker so many times…"**

**The flashback ended.**

Everyone was silent, contemplative. Dash, in particular, had already turned white-faced. "Wait, if he was gonna be the ghost in this story, then…he did die at some of point of time, didn't he? Was it"—Dash couldn't help looking at his most frequent punching bag—"because he was bullied?"

Since Danny had been unofficially deemed as the go-to person for ghost-related things, many turned to him with questions on their faces. The boy himself, however, was sporting a thoughtful look. He shook his head and shrugged.

"Sorry, I have no idea. It's not considered …uh… polite to ask another ghost how they died."

"Oh," Dash voiced, getting interested, "but why?"

Danny fidgeted in his seat. "Well, it's just not a pleasant experience, don't you think?"

Ishiyama coughed, turning the attention to her. "Perhaps I can help answering your question, Mr. Baxter. Sydney Poindexter, according to school records, never graduated from Casper. He…was found dead in an alley during a summer break in the year 1958. He never made it back to school in fall for his graduation. The local authorities had already ruled his death as a homicide."

"Does anybody else think there's more to this story than this?" Lancer added dryly.

The students turned silent, pondering about Sydney Poindexter's terrible bullying implication.

"When you think about it," Tucker murmured, "thinking about how the ghosts died is sorta creepy."

Danny chuckled. "But you two kinda witnessed my death. Or half-death. I dunno."

"Don't say stuff like that, dude," shuddered Tucker. "Just don't."

"… **it's believed his spirit still inhabits it to this very day," Tucker finished his narration.**

**Sam appeared holding a box of live frogs. The little guys were jumping lethargically above the box surface.**

**Danny noticed. "Sam, what are you doing?"**

" **Nothing," denied Sam unconvincingly. "Certainly not trying to smuggle frogs out of the bio lab while Lancer isn't looking."**

"Miss Manson?" came the voice of Mr. Lancer. "So it's true that you were also the one who stole the frogs?"

Sam winced. "Darn it."

"Isn't that kind of obvious," said Tucker with snickers. "She's also the first person in that failed 'Save the Frog' campaign."

"I was the one who had to collect them alone!" huffed the teacher.

"But we already got a detention for releasing the frogs, Mr. Lancer," said Danny in an effort to placate the situation.

"Very true, Mr. Fenton, but it's because you two released the frogs for the second time _after_ I collected them!"

Danny and Sam grinned sheepishly.

**Suddenly, Danny got pelted in the face with hamburger patties. There was a group of jocks standing near. Dash and Dale were heading them.**

" **Hey, guys," Dash said, grinning. In his hand, there were several more patties. "What do you say we 'meat' my new locker neighbor?"**

Dash visibly flinched. "I…I," he stammered amid the harsh stares of the student body and faculty.

"This is what I call as our ongoing problem," Lancer muttered quietly to Ishiyama. She nodded mutely. Lancer himself was torn between berating Mr. Baxter and feeling guilty himself for encouraging it in the first place. He knew his own hands were dirty for having submitted to peer pressure and the school's financial demand.

Dash was currently staring uncertainly at his victim-turned-hero. His mouth was gaping like a fish, but there was no sound coming out.

The person he — and a great amount of students — was staring at, on the other hand, was obliviously absorbed looking at the screen. There was a frown on the half-ghost's face, and then he opened his mouth, stating, "Hmm, I never got to appreciate it the first time around. Did Dash just make a good meat pun?"

Sam promptly smacked him in the head.

"Sam, wha—!"

"Look around, Danny," she hissed. "Dash is trying to say something to you."

Snickering students aside, Dash stopped his fishy impression, and tried once again to apologize. "Uh…F-Fenton, I'm so–sorr—blegh!" The jock grimaced as he wiggled his tongue.

Danny stared at the unusual behavior worriedly. "Dash, it's okay. I get what you mean. It's no big deal, really. Maybe you should stop before you explode."

Dash exploded. "No big deal! NO BIG DEAL?!"

The room buzzed again in anticipation for another drama slash breakdown.

"Um…" Danny looked around. "Dash, let's keep this a _private_ conversation, alright? I mean, you do it all the time to me. It's not a big deal between both of us."

Dash's face was still frozen in a shock, and his mouth repeated "no big deal" soundlessly. Then, it seemed like all rigidity vanished from his posture when he slumped into his chair. "No, no," he shook his head, his voice reverberating through the crowd. Suddenly, Dash's lifted his face determinedly. "Let's not."

Danny suppressed the urge to protest and stayed quiet.

"It's a big deal to me that I…knowingly…bullied my hero–you…and it doesn't matter that I didn't know it before," Dash exhaled harshly, looking anywhere but at Danny. "I can't believe I didn't know how much like …a bad guy… I was acting before. I didn't think—I thought I was doing a good thing."

"How could you think that bullying is a good thing?" asked Danny very quietly.

"Because…" Dash gulped, but he resolved to finish this very public confession. He couldn't help thinking how calm Danny was acting while his secrets — including his bad traits — were being broadcasted to the world. "…that's how tough guys are supposed to act, isn't it? My pa told me," Dash finished somberly as well.

"You and I are going to have a talk about your father, Mr. Baxter," Mr. Shaw, the school counselor, suddenly interjected sternly, but kindly. Dash jumped at the interruption. It seemed that Shaw opened a dam of students butting in to the conversation, because Dash's other bullying victims started to speak out.

"Danny, you hafta beat up Dash!"

"Dash Baxter broke my precious trumpet and he laughed—"

"For the love of Pete! Tough guy? More like sweaty guy in a letterman!"

"Give me a break! Is Phantom actually feeling sorry for Baxter?"

"He dunked my head in a toilet! Filled with poo! Seven times!"

"Go to hell, Baxter!"

"Yeah! Long live us losers! Screw the A-listers!"

Dash clenched his fists, seemingly trying to cool himself down. Kwan and Star were looking genuinely afraid. On the other hand, another group of A-listers — led by Dale — started to rise and swung their arms menacingly, shouting and promising retribution to everyone involved. Meanwhile, Mikey and Nathan stayed surprisingly quiet. They were the next two people who were on Dash's top hit list after Danny. They, following many other students, instead looked up at Danny, wanting to see what he would do.

Danny sat down, completely amazed and at lost at what was happening. He was still trying to figure out how and when he lost control of the situation.

"Dude," Tucker said in awe, "I can't believe you just started a revolution. School ground anarchy! Woo-hoo!"

"I didn't!" exclaimed Danny in exasperation. "Let's just wait until this whole thing blow over."

Sam looked at him with a gleam in her eyes. "Don't you see? This is an opportunity for us to make a change! Danny, you should speak up!"

"What? Sam, I can't! This is crazy!"

Danny sighed as he saw Sam giving him the look. "No way they're going to listen to me of all people.

Tucker gaped. "Danny, you're no longer Danny Fenton the loser to them. You're a freaking superhero! Act like it."

"Like what?"

"Like this!" To Danny's shock, Tucker suddenly stood up and whistled, gaining the bickering parties' attention. "Hey, everybody! Danny has a thing to say or two to you. So everybody sit down so no one gets an ecto-blast to the face."

"Ecto-blast! Mr. Fenton, what?" exclaimed Ishiyama.

"Uh, no, no, ma'am," Danny said hurriedly, before glaring at the techno-geek. "Tucker thinks he's being funny, that's all. So, um…" He gave a blank look at the sea of faces staring expectantly at him. Tucker and Sam poked him from behind to continue — but in truth it was just plain distracting. "…look, I kinda understand how you guys feel about Dash. I'm Dash's favorite punching bag, remember?"

"Not anymore," Dash muttered to himself, head bowed in shame.

"And…I get it. I feel angry too. But Dash"—Danny stared at the subdued jock. It was a pitiful sight—"Dash regrets what he did to me. I'm sure he regrets what he did to all of us, _right Dash_?"

Dash's head snapped up, quickly nodding. He turned and stared at the faces of his victims: Mikey, Nathan, and many others in the nerds' seats. Apology was written all over his face — as well as Kwan's face.

"It doesn't make what he did right, but I can't—I don't wanna beat up Dash. Like ever. Sure, I did some pranks. My fault," Danny shrugged sheepishly. The paused image on the screen displayed the frozen face of Sydney Poindexter. Danny suddenly got an idea. "In the show, we're going to see Poindexter as a ghost in a short while. He was bullied so bad in life so that his powers become more powerful when he takes revenge on bullies. I can't say it ends well for him. He would hurt the people who have hurt him, and so the cycle goes on and on."

"So I guess…what I'm trying to say is that you don't want to end up as a bully and the bad guy just to get back at people who have hurt you." Suddenly, Danny's mind flashed to a scene in a destroyed future where he himself had unleashed hurt to the world that had broken him. Blinking his eyes rapidly to erase the image, Danny forced a hesitant smile on his face. "…Everybody deserves a second chance, don't you think…. even Dash."

It started from the back, and suddenly, the whole audience was clapping and smiling proudly at the abashed Fenton. Dash looked like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, after hearing the confirmation Danny's forgiveness. Paulina literally swooned, making Danny extremely uncomfortable with the star-struck gaze she was giving him.

Tucker looked at his best friend who sat down heavily. "Told ya you'd do great. That was…damn. For one second, I thought you were gonna say, 'eat your vegetables' or other nonsense like that."

"Tucker," Danny glared. "You're officially fired as my publicist."

"I was never hired in the first place, dude," teased Tucker in return. "But I did get your speech on record." He waved his PDA.

"Yeah? Then you're on the blacklist now. Delete that recording now, Tuck." Danny turned his eyes green, "Or else."

"No way! That eye trick doesn't work on me, Inviso-bill."

"Uh uh, boys. Let's stop this very mature discussion," said Sam, slipping her hand into Danny's to prevent the incoming wrestling. She was smiling.

Danny just rolled his eyes at the madly cackling Tucker.

**The show went on again with image of Danny, who was angrily wiping the patties out of his cheek. His eyes turned green as he growled.**

" **Easy, Danny," Sam soothed after putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Take it easy."**

**Danny sighed. "You're right, Sam. I—" He was pelted again by more patties, cheese, veggies, and a loaf of bread to top it off.**

" **Enjoy your sandwich, neighbor!" waved Dash while he and the jocks walked out of the cafeteria, cackling along the way.**

" **That's it!"**

**Tucker hummed. "I wonder how Dash would feel if he had a frog in his throat."**

" **Or twelve," Danny muttered angrily, "in his pants!" He looked at Sam's box of frogs.**

**Sam quickly lifted the box away. "Oh no, you're not gonna exploit innocent amphibians for some juvenile revenge scheme."**

**Danny's eyes glowed green with mischief.**

"Uh…sorry?" said Danny, wincing.

"I see you really are the culprit who released the frogs, Mr. Fenton," Lancer remarked, his eyebrows high. "Point for honesty."

"Wait–wait, what?"

Danny's flabbergasted reaction was hilarious to the audience. Lancer grinned mischievously at the boy, not unlike the mischievous look on-screen Danny had.

"You haven't said your sorry to the frogs, Danny," drilled Sam in mock anger. "They were victimized too!"

"Yeah, from exposure to a traumatic view," guffawed Tucker.

"As in the inside of my pants?" came the surprising voice of one Dash Baxter. The trio gasped and looked at the guy.

"Oh yeah, 'bout that." Danny scratched the back of his neck in shame. "Again, I'm sorry."

There was a tense moment before Dash tentatively grinned. "Nah, I'm just joking. Stop apologizing, Fenton. If you wanna preach second chances, practice 'em on yourself."

The trio grinned back, shaking away the novelty. Dash Baxter…might be alright after all.

.

**Ghost Zone, Time Unspecified**

For the ghostly assembly inside the master of technology's lair, the absence of Skulker, Ember, and the Box Ghost did not help to increase the quality of the drama occurring, unfortunately. This time, it was Sydney Poindexter's time to shine.

Poindexter had enjoyed living the popular life in his realm after his encounter with Danny Phantom. The students at Casper 1955 accepted him, thinking that he was the defeater of the famous halfa. Never did they know that it was a lie. Poindexter had never sought out Phantom personally since the incident, with certain exceptions such as when the Zone was threatened by Pariah Dark and an errand asteroid. He did not want to have his butt kicked, and eventually destroyed the house of cards the lie was built.

But it seemed that everything would unravel tonight. Poindexter floated, trying to hide his agitation. Beads of moisture were running down his ghostly cool skin.

**The scene transitioned to Dash Baxter. He opened his locker and started to rummage through it, unaware of a shadow at the end of the hallway. The shadow was Phantom. The ghost boy was holding the box of frogs, as he slowly smirked and turned invisible.**

**Invisible hands suddenly yanked Dash's pants, pulled out his underwear, and dragged it over his head. A box full of frogs were poured into the pants. Dash screamed. His head tore through his underwear and he ran down the hall, holding his butt who was jumped on by the frogs.**

**Phantom appeared, chuckling to himself.**

Every ghost was in various states of surprise. Some were even delighted.

"Didn't know the goody-two-shoes had it in him to do that," Johnny muttered.

"Hey, Poindexter!" a ghost from Casper '55 called out.

The ghostly nerd jumped a foot higher. "Y-yes? What's-to-mato, Elton?"

Elton snorted, before answering, "I just have to say once again, I look forward to how you were going to kick the halfa's ass."

"Uh…sure, posi–lutely abs–tively!"

**Dash hopped past locker 724. The eerie sound ("…bullies…") was heard again. Suddenly, a gray-washed hand phased out of the locker, followed by a head.**

" **Hey!" Poindexter exclaimed, "I'm free! Finally, the doorway's been opened."**

"My doorway to the human world is always open whenever I am needed to fight the bullies!" said Poindexter heroically.

He was greeted by the chuckles and jeers of the ghosts present.

"Careful, you're starting to sound like the ghost boy, wimp," Bertrand sneered.

"Yeah!" exclaimed the cackling Youngblood. "Just without the cool superhero-ness!"

Poindexter growled. "Oh wait until you fussles watch me fight like Kilkenny cats!"

**On screen, the ghostly nerd had spotted the chuckling half-ghost. He narrowed his eyes. "You think that's funny, buster?"**

" **Huh, what? You can see me?"**

" **Yeah, that's right, bub," said Poindexter, pointing a stern finger at the white-haired ghost. "Now leave that poor kid alone."**

"This is just fabulous," laughed Spectra who was clapping her claw-like hands. "How is it possible that you deduced so wrongfully from that first impression? Tut tut."

There was something to be said about Poindexter's self-control because he was present in a room with some of the Zone's worst 'bullies'.

" **What?" exclaimed Phantom, as he turned fully visible. "Oh." He burst into genuine laughter this time. "Oh, man. That's good. Man, do you ever have it backwards."**

**The self-styled anti-bully police was not impressed. "Don't hand me that jazz, Clyde. You're the bully from where I'm standing."**

" **Uh, floating."**

" **Uh, okay," backtracked a flustered Poindexter. "Floating."**

The sounds of ghostly laughter echoed inside the lair.

"What are you laughing at?" Poindexter asked. "I'm stumped!"

Technus decided to take pity on his fellow era ghost, "You were trumped by the ghost child's jokes, lad. I know Skulker is already thinking the jokes are positively lethal!"

"Lethal!?"

"Hey!" Technus slowly said in realization. "That's another great idea! To take over the world by the _joy_ of science!

Cue the rolls of multiple glowing eyes.

"How does that make any sense?" muttered Kitty.

**Poindexter raised his arms. "Let's see how _you_ like getting bullied." His palms glowed green and before long, the lockers started to glow too. Phantom watched the progress worriedly. Poindexter's eyes then turned solid red, before school supplies flew out of the lockers.**

**Back in the cafeteria, the students were eating calmly, but suddenly their trays smacked into their faces, food and all. One student's hamburger forcefully put itself into his mouth just before the tray hit his face. Another student had their milkshake squirting its content at her face, making her fall backwards. Everyone was running and screaming as the food continued to float and attack the students.**

**In the science lab, Lancer was in the middle of searching for the frogs. Suddenly, the glass breakers and equipment exploded one after another.**

" **Great Gatsby!" the teacher cursed.**

The younger ghosts were staring in awe at the screen. Poindexter's scaring prowess was something to behold. Poindexter himself, was grinning happily, receiving many pats on the back from the ghostly students of Casper '55.

**The scene cut in to the front doors of the school. Maddie and Jack were approaching to make good of their intention to check out Danny's haunted locker. Jazz ran forward and tried to keep them from entering.**

" **How many times do I have to tell you? There's nothing weird going on in this school!"**

"That ghost kid's lovely sister is gullible," commented Johnny with a fond smile of nostalgia. "But still is totally hot."

Johnny suddenly met the angry eyes of Kitty. He gulped.

**Just as Jazz finished her words, the doors were slammed open. Kids were running and screaming to the outside.**

" **Move, Maddie, move!" Jack bellowed.**

**The two ghost hunters then charged inside. Jazz slammed her hand into her forehead.**

Kitty was lifting her boyfriend by the collar of his baggy clothes, her palms glowing with light blue energy.

"Yes—I mean, no! She ain't no hot, Kitty darling! You're the hottest girl in my after-life, baby!" exclaimed the panicking Johnny.

"Hmph," muttered the green-haired ghost, putting Johnny down. She was still looking mightily displeased, however.

"Darn woman," muttered Johnny under his breath.

**.**

**The Manson Mansion, 20.48 p.m.**

Jeremy watched idly as the women in the room continued nitpicking on every 'fault' — translated into, everything Pamela didn't personally like, which was a lot in number — they could find on the following: a. Danny Fenton; b. the students and teachers of Casper High School (otherwise known as "that horrid public school Sammykins liked so much"); c. ghosts; and d. society and Amity Park in general. Pamela had almost called it quit when she saw how much trouble her Sammykins was actually into in the 'episodes'.

The Manson parents were lounging in the theatre room in their basement. They were also currently hosting two guests. One was Harriet Chin. Chin was an investigative journalist working under Channel 48. It was a relatively minor channel, but it was getting more recognition for covering Amity's ghost troubles in a different light, which was a more distasteful and, in Pamela's words, pro-human manner than most. Chin allegedly had a history with the Fentons back in her Wisconsin days. Jeremy was quite wary, however, of her true agenda in pandering to Pamela's own whims.

The other was the half-snoring Martin Bastien, dignified magnate of the Bastien International Industries. He was heeding the call of his son's bruised ego, courtesy of none other than Jeremy's precious daughter.

The Manson patriarch tended to keep his own thoughts to himself, especially because everyone else in the room seemed to have a skewed perception regarding the boy and the ghosts at large. Danny Fenton was a good kid, in his opinion, but yes, he did have a knack of attracting the attention of the dangerous kind.

The show once again portrayed the boy under the assault of whatever dangerous ghost-of-the-day.

**Books, paper, and school equipment were shooting out of the lockers, passing the ghost boy harmlessly because he had turned intangible.**

" **Look! You don't understand!" Phantom tried.**

" **I understand a bully when I see one," replied Poindexter. His shot two beams of energy from his eyes, managing to blast the intangible Phantom through the walls and the shelves in the next room. Phantom quickly recovered and flew back into the scene.**

**Back in the hallway, Sam was busy collecting the escaped frogs. She was soon sitting in the middle of the confrontation between Poindexter and Phantom.**

"Another fight without any consideration of my daughter," Pamela huffed.

Chin looked interested. "I can actually file this as another case of this particular public school failing to uphold common safety standards."

"You do that, Harry," grouched Martin.

"With all due respect, Mr. Bastien," gritted out the irate reporter, "I prefer you calling me Harriet or just Chin."

" **Put an egg in your shoe and beat it, bully," growled Poindexter. "I'm Sydney Poindexter, and wherever there is a single nerd in need, I shall be there!" The ghost pointed at Tucker who had approached the scene.**

" **Hey," said Tucker who realized the reference. "Who you're calling a nerd?"**

"Why are children being so hard on nerds?" commented Jeremy. "Compared to the jocks, nerds are usually more employable in the workplace."

Martin shrugged. "My own son had a hard time back in high school because–not despite–of his achievements. Sure he proved them wrong in the end," the man ended with a toothy grin.

**Phantom turned his body tangible and flew quickly at Poindexter. However, the ghostly nerd only acted by turning his body intangible, so that he flew past through and into Tucker instead. Tucker and Phantom crashed into some lockers and fell to the ground.**

"Wooo," squealed Chin, "Juicy." She'd been saying that every time an interesting fight or moment came into screen. The reporter scribbled something onto her notepad.

"As if every journalist in the city wouldn't write about this tomorrow, Harriet," commented Jeremy off-handedly.

"Be nice, darling," Pamela snapped.

Chin looked a bit distracted. "No, I'm pointing out how _raunchy_ it could be," she said with a speculating smirk. "Tucker Foley and Danny Fenton-Phantom, best friends or something else…. hmm?"

"What?" said Martin, scandalized.

" **That's the guy who used to have your locker," Tucker warned. Then, he smirked. "In your face, Mr. Skeptic."**

" **In your face? Swell idea." Poindexter pulled out an ink pen and sprayed the ink in the ghost boy's face. Phantom looked surprised, while Poindexter laughed heartily.**

"Nasty," Pamela said in disgust.

Jeremy nodded in agreement.

**Narrowing his eyes, Phantom flew into the laughing ghost, bringing them underground. They slammed into the ground of a room filled with metal boilers. Weak from the fight, Phantom turned back to Fenton.**

" **Holy socks!" exclaimed Poindexter. "You're the halfa!"**

" **The…what-a?"**

**Poindexter started to explain to the clueless halfa. "The halfa. Everybody in the Ghost Zone talks about you. You're half a boy, half a ghost. The halfa! You have all our powers on the human plane."**

"That's what he's called? A halfa?" Chin cocked her head to one side.

Pamela scoffed. "Figures. A completely unnatural name for such an unnatural…boy."

"Don't you think you're being too harsh, Pam?" Jeremy said hesitantly.

"Ever since that…boy wanted to date Sammykins, I will do whatever I can for the well-being of our daughter. Now why won't you be a dear and follow my example?"

Chin saw an opportunity dancing in front of her like a monkey in a hula hoop. "Tell me more about this supposed…love affair, Madam Manson?"

"Love affair? Hah! Hardly," retorted the woman. Her haughty expression momentarily resembled the way her daughter looked whenever she met a certain "shallow puddle".

Thus, Jeremy stood watch again as his dear wife started to pour her grief about Daniel and Samantha's relationship to the eager reporter. Something told him this was a terrible idea.

The occupants of the room were unaware of an uninvited figure watching them from the adjoining bowling alley. Ida Manson was often forgotten in the fast-lane life of her son and daughter-in-law, and was instead thought of as someone so senile, spending her retirement years in the mansion.

But Ida's age couldn't dull her wits. She'd rather help her smart granddaughter than bunking up with this pish posh group. So she stayed quiet.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 20.50 p.m.**

"… **and you were using your powers for evil?" accused Poindexter.**

"Wrong!" many of the students exclaimed in sync. There was almost no one who did not scoff in incredulity. Tucker gave a pat on Danny's back. The poor kid looked so stunned like he wouldn't believe the massive support he had from the student body.

" **No!" Danny hastily clarified. "Look! Y-you just listen! I-I took over Dash's body because—"**

" **Hey, you can take over a person's body," interrupted Poindexter. "Jeepers creepers, I would flip if I had your powers, I wonder…"**

**Poindexter suddenly turned himself intangible and…..dove into Danny's body.**

"Oh. my. gosh," uttered Mikey among the gasps of the students.

Danny raised an eyebrow at the dramatic reactions. Noticing that, Sam chuckled.

"You don't wanna know how eventful everything was when you were outside."

"Yeah," said Danny, suddenly downtrodden. "I had an eventful night too when I wasn't inside."

Sam realized her mistake. "Oh, Danny, I'm sorry."

Danny gave her a sort of half-smile. "Don't be. I–wait a minute, Valerie!" He hurriedly turned to Tucker. "Man! How could I forget about her? Do you get any news? Is she fine? I didn't see her at all even during flight. Has she been going through the streets instead? Tucker!?"

Tucker was grinning. "Calm down, dude. Lucky for you, your very prepared friend here has sent her a message and got a reply." Tucker showed Danny and Sam Valerie's reply text.

"'I'm…fine'?" Sam read. "Is that it?"

"Well, she said so after I texted her a long of passage of questions," Tucker shrugged. "She obviously doesn't want to be bothered." A flash of sadness came over the techno-geek's face.

Sam noticed. "Oh, cheer up! At least that isn't your love confession that she gives that kind of one-worded answers to."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" denied Tucker, but his blush betrayed his feeling.

In the meanwhile, Danny was drumming his fingers together, feeling uneasy. "But…the only girl I know who texted short is Sam. Valerie's not the type."

"Well…" Tucker trailed off in thought.

"Um…I dated her for a while, guys," Danny threw a guilty look at Sam, who waved it off.

"Alright, alright! I'll try calling her phone."

" **Hey!" gasped Danny in surprise. His body started to glow green and trembled uncontrollably as the boy struggled to resist.**

" **What are you doing!?"**

" **Getting you a taste of your own medicine, bully!" Poindexter's disembodied voice echoed.**

" **L-listen to me! D-Dash—isn't—errrgh!"**

**His body began to snap into _extremely_ weird poses — some were actually beyond humanly possible. All the while, Danny continued to scream, growl, yell, and make other unidentifiable sounds while his eyes bulged, his tongue burst out, his neck bent, his arms flailed, and his body twisted.**

"Go on." Danny crossed his arms. "Laugh."

So the room burst into laughter after a moment of hesitancy. The self-proclaimed Phantom 'phans' in the room allowed themselves to be overcome by fits of laughter, especially after seeing Danny himself struggling to keep up his mock glare while Sam and Tucker were practically rolling on the floor. The teachers also joined in the hilarity.

"If I ever see you flunking yoga again, Fenton, I'mma bend your body into two!" boomed Tetslaff among her chortles.

The sounds of laughter increased when everyone saw Danny slapping his palm to his forehead.

**Danny's body suddenly went still. His eyelids drooped.**

" **You might use your powers to pick on innocent kids…" There was a white-blue aura hanging over Danny's head. It continued to go up to form Danny's phantom spirit being pulled out forcibly by Poindexter's powers. Then, Danny opened his grey eyes. "…but I sure as sugar _won't_!"**

"Oh, please," sneered Paulina. "Like that super ugly loser could use the powers better than Danny Phantom himself."

Danny winced. "You know," he told Sam and Tucker quietly. "I get the feeling she isn't talking about me anymore, even though she's talking about me. Uh, you get it?"

"No…"

Sam rolled her eyes at Tucker. "She's only seeing an idealized version of you in her mind, Danny. If that's not extremely shallow, I don't know what is."

**The force pulled Danny's invisible spirit through the ceiling, into the hallway, and finally, through the mirror inside the open locker 724. Suddenly, he found himself in a black-and-white setting of Casper 1955. A jock walked by and noticed the person inside the locker.**

" **Hey, Poindexter!"**

**Danny looked into the mirror and saw not himself, but Poindexter in the reflection. He screamed.**

"So you and him exchanged bodies?" Kwan asked. "That's creepy!"

"I know," Danny nodded emphatically.

Star stared at Danny. "I can't see how you were able to get out of this situation. But…you're here so you succeeded somehow."

"Heck yeah, Star," Tucker said. "Or else we would be talking with a squeaky, tweedle-dum Danny instead of this annoying jerk."

"Hey!" Danny protested, grinning.

"Y'know, I love ya, bro," Tucker grinned back.

The half-ghost snickered. "I love you too and all, but let's stop before it gets to kissing."

Tucker immediately puckered his lips humorously, their gag enticing laughs from the avid audience.

Sam put her hand on her head and sighed dramatically. "Now I feel like a third wheel."

Meanwhile, most of the A-listers and some of the crowd had started to remember the weird actions of Danny Fenton around the time his locker changed. Dash's eyes had already opened wide and he was vibrating in his seat, like he knew something the rest of the crowd did not.

**Back in modern Casper, the Fenton parents were running down the hall. Since Jack was wearing the ghost gloves, they looked battle-ready. Lancer followed behind them.**

"Run, Lancer, run!" an unknown student in the back quipped, causing many people to snicker.

Lancer stood up and glared, searching for the speaker.

"Was it exhausting, Willy?" teased Tetslaff, followed by more snickers.

Lancer sat down and shook his head in resignation.

**Maddie gasped when they met Sam and Tucker. "Is it true? Did you kids just witness a ghost attack?"**

" **Fear not, young ones!" Jack lifted up his glove-covered hands. "These gloves are made for grabbing!"**

**Danny slid invisibly up from the ground. Tucker, noticing that, immediately ran to cover him, allowing Danny to go visible behind his back.**

" **Uh, no ghost here, Mr. and Mrs. F," Tucker lied.**

" **Only a girl trying to create a diversion for her own needs," said Lancer. The teacher was glaring at Sam.**

" **Right! Right!" Sam gave the adults a slightly wavering smile. Only slightly. "No ghost here!"**

**It worked, so the adults ran off.**

" **Watch it, Danny," whispered Tucker to the person behind him. "Your parents almost caught your intangible act."**

**Poindexter/Danny only smirked.**

"Even though I wasn't there, I appreciate what you did, guys," Danny told his friends.

"Of course I wasn't gonna let you get grabbed and made into a ghost pretzel by your parents, dude."

"Right," added Sam, "After giving you the frogs, lying to your parents and Lancer is an easy bit."

Danny smiled gratefully.

"Fenton?" Dash looked right and left as all attention turned to him, including the trio's. "Uh…your parents' inventions usually look dangerous, right, especially to ghosts…and a half-ghost! So, uh…do they—I mean, have they—"

"—Have they ever caught me or hurt me, you mean?" said Danny, taking pity on the flustered jock.

"…yeah."

Everybody also looked at Danny with interest.

"No," Danny shook his head. "The most they did was just a few shots here and there. Nothing big."

Everyone was now giving him looks of surprise and pity, which were frankly weird to him.

"They're ghost hunters," Ishiyama said evenly.

"Yeah," Danny replied, drawing his word slowly. "They're also my parents. So what."

"Question time's over, guys," grinned Tucker, after an awkward silence.

Everyone shuffled back to their seats. Discreetly, Dash continued staring at Danny; confusion was written on his face.

**In the meantime, Danny/Poindexter was walking down the hall of the gray-scaled version of the school. He was looking around in confusion.**

" **Where am I? It's like I dropped into Grandpa Fenton's yearbook."**

**A tall and buff student suddenly came in front of him. "Hey, Poindexter. You got a spot on your shirt." He pointed a finger on the shorter nerd's chest. Danny looked down. The finger suddenly flicked up, hitting Poindexter's nose.**

**The student grinned in glee. "Ha! Made you look!"**

**The surrounding crowd laughed at the bullied nerd. Danny started to walk away, frowning deeply. However, he didn't see that a girl had put a foot right in front of his path. He tripped and fell.**

" **Have a nice 'trip', Poindexter! See you next fall!" said the girl, before walking away. The students' laughter got louder.**

**Before Danny could recover, someone else grabbed him by the underwear and lifted him up. Danny screamed as he was given a wedgie.**

" **Hey, don't you know there's a dress code, Poindexter?" The underwear was released so that it covered Danny's head.**

Danny looked over to Dash surreptitiously. In his time as Poindexter, he was treated exactly like he treated Dash, including the underwear over the head thing. However, he had to swallow back the bile rising in his throat because of the lingering guilt.

While gazing at Dash, Danny didn't realize that Sam was in turn looking at him. There was a rare tender expression on her face.

**In the midst of laughter, Danny tore the underwear apart and quickly ran to the exit doors. He opened them harshly, but there was no step to the outside. In fact, there was no outside at all. The school was floating in the abyss of the Ghost Zone. Danny flailed his arms in panic, trying to keep himself from falling. He wasn't successful.**

**Danny fell down. However, he miraculously managed to lay a hand on the school's tiles, to finally pull himself back up.**

" **I gotta get out of here!" he gasped.**

The students were all silent for once. Among the rows of the A-listers, some of them had their heads bowed. The show was an eye-opener experience for them, seeing from the victim's perspective. Nobody liked to admit they were a bully. Usually, the term preferred was doing harmless fun and game. They now realized it wasn't fun at all for the victims.

Dash had hid his face with his hands. He felt guiltier than most. Many thought that what was done to Poindexter was extreme, but he knew better. There was so much that this show did not reveal about his and Fenton's history. He had been tormenting him since elementary school. Until two weeks ago, Fenton was still his sole punching bag.

The teachers were struck into silence as well, admitting their own fallacies in perpetuating the bullying culture. Most students who were neither the bully nor the victim also felt the guilt. They were the bystanders. Like the bystanders in Casper '55, they laughed and had their entertainment, at the expense of their bullied classmates. They felt just as guilty as the doers.

**The scene changed back to Earth's Casper High. Sam and Tucker were walking with their friend, who was acting incredibly weird.**

" **Oooh–oooh! Spiff–diddly–dee, man. So this is what it's like to have friends."**

"It's so weird," Danny commented. "I looked weird. I acted weird. I talked weird! Why hadn't you guys noticed he wasn't me?"

Sam and Tucker gave him sheepish looks.

**Sam narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You sure you're alright, Danny?"**

**Danny didn't answer.**

" **Danny?"**

"See? He even forgot his name was Danny!" Danny said, gesturing wildly at the grey-eyed version of himself on the screen.

"To be fair, his name isn't Danny, Mr. Fenton," Lancer said wryly.

Danny blushed.

" **Oh, me?" Poindexter finally answered. "Yeah, right. I'm right like Ike, Mike!"**

" **Why does your voice sound so weird?" wondered Sam.**

" **Uh…puberty?"**

" **What happened to Poindexter?" asked Tucker.**

" **Oh, that square?" Tucker and Sam stopped walking in confusion. "He flew the coop. Permanent-like."**

**Poindexter/Danny walked away with Sam and Tucker's eyes following him suspiciously.**

"Okay, I totally forgive you guys for drilling him with twenty questions," Danny said airily to Sam and Tucker. "Besides, the way he talked is even worse than Technus trying to be hip," finished the boy with a chuckle.

"Actually, the way he talked is what put him off suspicion," explained Tucker.

"Come again?"

"We thought you were undergoing a phase, Danny. Honestly, it wasn't any better than your usual puns," said Sam, smirking when she saw Danny's increasingly incredulous expression.

**The next scene was of Dash hitting the vending machine.**

" **Come on! Give me my soda!"**

" **Hey," Poindexter/Danny came in and greeted him amiably. "Let me help ya there, pal." He reached the back of the machine with one hand, discreetly turning the hand intangible. There were some sounds of something being moved, and then suddenly, a can of soda rolled out. Dash picked it up and drank it. He sighed in satisfaction.**

" **Thanks, Fenton."**

" **Eh, no problemo."**

" **What? Are you going through puberty?" questioned Dash, noticing the voice change. "Uh, you know, I'm a little tight on quarters. Think you can get a few more sodas for me and my pals?"**

**Poindexter chuckled. "You betcha." He winked.**

"Bet you like that, Baxter," muttered Dale quietly.

Dash's ears twitched as he turned to his fellow jock. "Huh, what?"

"Nothing," Dale shot back with a smirk.

"Duh, just when I started to forget you're here," Dash scowled.

**Poindexter phased his hand into the machine once again. Multiple cans of soda rolled out.**

" **Danny, that's stealing," Sam said disapprovingly.**

"…and he's stupid enough not to notice the stealing was done with ghost powers."

"Are you talking about me, jerk?" growled Dash to Dale.

Dale looked away from his friends to stare at Dash. He raised an eyebrow. "Did you notice me talking about you?"

**While grabbing the cans of soda, Poindexter reasoned, "I'm sure that poor kid lost more than his fair share of quarters to the _vicious_ bullies in this school. It's time somebody evened the score."**

**With that, he got up and started passing out the sodas one by one to Dash, Kwan, Dale, Steve, and some other jocks; as well as another group of students standing around. "Hey, everybody! Egg creams on me!"**

"…why are all of you surprised? This ghost is getting lamer and lamer. Must be a requirement to be a loser in order to be ghost."

Dash ground his teeth.

**Kwan stared at his can in delight. "I don't know what the heck an egg cream is, but thanks!"**

" **Well," Sam said, putting her hands on her hips. "This is new."**

"Thanks again, Fenton!" Kwan waved, grinning.

"Seriously, Kwan?" replied Danny. "That's Poindexter, not me."

Kwan shrugged. "I know. That's a thanks for many other stuff you did, if you know what I mean."

Narrowing his eyes in thought, Danny answered, "No, I don't know what you mean."

"Kwan, we get it," interrupted Tucker with a smile.

Sam snickered. "Yeah, we'll tell him later."

Kwan gave the two a thumbs-up, before turning his attention back to the screen.

"Guys…?" Danny asked hesitantly.

**The view switched back to Danny/Poindexter in Casper '55.**

" **This is how I came in," Danny murmured as he opened his locker. He touched his fingers on the mirror surface. "There's got to be a way back."**

**The view switched back again to the other side, the modern Casper. The locker glowed and flung open by itself. Through the mirror, there was Danny/Poindexter looking outward.**

" **Huh?"**

**He witnessed Poindexter/Danny passing out cans of soda to many students. Dash was among the crowd.**

" **Here's to Fenton!" he toasted, raising his own can. Everyone followed his example and cheered the boy.**

" **What the heck!?" the poor boy behind the mirror gaped.**

**Just then, Sam and Tucker passed the locker, walking in determination toward the commotion.**

" **Tucker! Sam! It's me! Danny!" he tried.**

"My poor love!" Paulina exclaimed. "Where was I at the time? I would have rescued you!"

"Um…" Sam tried to find the words to explain how Paulina certainly _wouldn't have_ since she was not bothered with Fenton — much less Poindexter, the body that Danny currently inhabited, who was less…easy on the eyes than Danny — but she had a second thought. Why should she waste her breath?

Star was the one to answer, "You were doing a cheerleading practice, with me."

Her rational, straight-forward answer only earned Star a glare from her fellow cheerleader.

**As expected, Tucker and Sam could not hear him. They were too focused on what was happening in front: Kwan had put an arm around Danny's shoulders.**

" **Hey, Fentonmeister! We're short one for touch football. Are you in?"**

"Do _not_ tell me he played touch football with my body," growled Danny.

"Easy, Danny," placated Sam. "You can beat him later if you wanna."

"Sam!" Tucker glared. "Don't encourage him. Now I feel bad for poor Sydney."

" **Posi–lutely abs–itively!" beamed Poindexter.**

" **Posi-lutely?" Kwan laughed. "When did you get a sense of humor?"**

"…what an irony. His own sense of humor is only as wide as his eyes are."

Twitching, Kwan took a deep breath and arranged his state of mind according to his mother's Zen meditation. It would help to clean the jerk-festation.

**Poindexter/Danny was thus carried away by the crowd, leaving Sam and Tucker standing there. On the way to the football field, he noticed the opened door of locker 724. Poindexter panicked and quickly ran to close it.**

**Danny/Poindexter was summarily thrown out of his spying.**

**Looking up from his position on the ground, Danny saw another guy who looked like a jock coming to him.**

" **Hey, Poindexter. What's black and blue and can't touch the floor?"**

"What an abysmal command of English grammar," commented Lancer out loud.

" **I…give up." Danny was then picked off the floor by the collar.**

" **YOU! Ha!" The jock swung a fist and punched him.**

Some people winced, and others whimpered. They turned to Danny at once, and let out a relieved smile. The boy gave a wave and smiled reassuringly at them.

"You know who that _jerk_ reminded me of?" Dash said loudly. "Snyder, could he possibly be your grandpa or something? He looks like you and he's as jerky as you." Dash smirked.

"Don't be racist. If he was white and blond, he'd be you," Dale shot back, wiping off the victorious smirk on Dash's face.

**Meanwhile, the shot went back to the organic world. It faded in to the football field. Dash was giving prep talk to his team, which had Poindexter/Danny in it.**

" **Okay, Fenton. After the snap, I'll hand the ball off to you." Poindexter gave a salute and enthusiastically ran off, giggling along the way.**

Danny stared at the screen, frozen in mortification.

"Hey, Fentonmeister," teased Kwan. "I think this is exactly why most of us have trouble connecting you with Phantom."

"…Is that a good thing?" Danny said with a small voice.

The crowd snickered.

Kwan turned around to find himself the object of Dash's glare.

"Why don't you use your eyes to see?!" Dash exclaimed. "He was _not_ Fenton. He didn't act like Fenton. Of course he didn't act like Phantom! Don't you go accusing Fenton of not acting like Phantom!"

There was a silence.

"Wait, what d'ya say?" Danny choked out, torn between wanting to bang his head and wanting to help Dash — whatever was wrong with Dash.

Kwan was taking it good-naturedly. "Man, that's the second eye jab I received in like, two minutes."

The crowd was laughing at the football hero, who was looking like two tomatoes had replaced his cheeks. Dale, in particular, looked extremely gleeful at Dash's embarrassment.

"… **.leave him wide open for punishment," on-screen Dash continued when Poindexter/Danny was far enough.**

**The footballers moved into the line-up, waiting for the snap.**

"Tuck, I know," Danny said suddenly. "Dash was overshadowed!"

"No, Danny. Believe it or not, he's been acting like that since you were outside."

"I would have told you to help him—speak to him, or whatever," Sam said, "But he deserved to grovel after everything."

**There was a change of scene afterwards, back to Casper '55. A pitiful sight of Danny/Poindexter hanging by his shirt from a ceiling fan appeared. Danny struggled to let himself out to no avail. Finally, due to the weight of Poindexter's body, the shirt broke apart. Danny fell down to the ground. He quickly reoriented himself and ran to the locker.**

" **I have to contact them somehow," said Danny like a mantra, while he put both hands on the mirror. A green energy started to transfer through the barrier, flying past the modern Casper's hallway and to the football field. It began to crave a message over the grass where Sam and Tucker were standing on.**

**The game was about to start. The ball was snapped from Dale to Dash. Then, Dash winked as a signal to the team to leave Poindexter alone. He handed the ball to Poindexter.**

Dale leaned back to talk to Dash. "Kinda makes you feel like a hypocrite, doesn't it?"

"Shut the heck up."

**Sam and Tucker braced themselves for the disastrous outcome. They closed their eyes.**

" **Well, it was nice knowing him."**

**Tucker opened one eye. "Think I can have his computer?"**

"Nice knowing you too, Tucker," Danny said in a sarcastic voice.

"I was planning to use your computer in your loving memory."

**While the sounds of the running players started to reach a crescendo, Danny's energy had finished carving the message.**

_TUCKER, SAM,_  
OPEN LOCKER  
724

**The opposing players then slammed and tackled Poindexter. However, out of the body pile, Poindexter peeked through. He had gone intangible, and he immediately ran for a touchdown.**

**Dash, Dale, and Kwan watched in stupefaction.**

" **Fenton's got game! Who knew?"**

**Poindexter threw the ball, scoring the touchdown. He then danced in excitement.**

"No comment," Danny said helplessly. People were, once again, laughing their hearts out.

"Danny, can you—"

"No! It's my body, alright, but I don't even know how to dance like _that._ I can only do a moonwalk."

"Do it!"

"Abs–itively posi…uh—how did he say it? Ugh, anyway, NO!"

The audience made exclamations of disappointment.

"Aw, why dude?" teased Tucker.

**Tucker and Sam smiled, breathing a sigh of relief seeing their friend unharmed. They looked down….just in time when the Fenton parents came and stepped on the message.**

Laughing weakly, Danny said, "It's kinda sad I expected this to happen."

"At least you've never had 'bad luck' as your nickname," responded Tucker.

" **There's a ghost in here. I can feel it in my boots!" Jack yelled.**

"Literally," Star commented. "Heh, that's so ironic."

"… **and I'm not leaving this campus 'till these gloves grab some ghost." Jack brought his fists together. The gloves were buzzing with electricity.**

**Meanwhile, Maddie's Fenton Finder was beeping. The radar pointed to Danny with a warning: "Ghost!"**

" **A ghost?" Maddie mumbled in confusion. "That can't be right. Hmm, looks like we'll be staking out the school all night. Don't wait up."**

"….not only are they freaks in a jumpsuit, Fent-urd's parents are freaking idiots."

Dash turned around, eyes flashing with anger. "I wanna put my fist in your mouth so bad, you stinking asshole. Shut the heck up 'cause nobody wants to hear you. Jerk," he added for a good measure. Dash clenched his fists, aware that Lancer was in a very close proximity.

"What's your problem?" Dale replied calmly. "I am talking to my friends, Baxter, and you're not included among them anymore because you have loser-germs."

"That's rich," Kwan suddenly said. "Talking to them, but insulting Dash, Fenton, and I? Shame on you, coward."

"Yeah," Dash said, feeling emboldened. "Where's all that bravado now that Fenton's here, huh, Dale?"

Dale responded by narrowing his eyes. The situation turned gradually tenser among the feuding A-listers. But still, it was Dash's turn to smirk since he finally scored against the other jock.

" **In that case, I need to use the little ghost hunters' room," said Jack before throwing his metal gloves to Tucker. "Hold these gloves, son. Where I'm going, there's no need for that much power."**

**The ghost hunting couple quickly ran off.**

"Little ghost hunters' room as in…the bathroom?" Mikey turned to Danny for explanation.

Danny rolled his eyes at the question no-one-bothered-to-ask-about-except-for-one, but he answered with a simple "yep".

"Ah! That's so cool! I'm gunna call it so from now on."

"Yeah…cool," Danny said.

**Dash was quick to milk the situation. "Party at Fenton's house!" Of course, the students burst into cheers.**

" **Hot dog!" exclaimed Poindexter. "Where does he live?"**

" **It's your house, bonehead," answered Kwan who heard the question. "Is he hilarious or what?"**

**Poindexter smiled, but the confusion was still on his face.**

"Turned out he wasn't joking after all," commented Kwan. Dash and Star grinned with him.

"…the bonehead's gullible enough to think it was a joke."

"I heard a voice. Do you see somebody speaking?" Star asked aloud.

"Nope!" Dash and Kwan replied.

They refrained from laughing seeing Dale's shocked expression.

**Meanwhile, Sam was watching the exchange from the sidelines. "Free soda, a touchdown, and the opportunity to trash a classmate's living room. How easily the letter jacket and pom-pom set is swayed."**

"Hey!" Star shouted, a bit hurt.

"Well, it's true. That's how it looks to us," Sam retorted. Many students who were not jocks or cheerleaders found themselves agreeing.

" **I don't know. Danny seems a little…off," Tucker said.**

"Really guys, I feel so lucky having two very attentive best friends."

"I know," Sam smirked up at him, making Tucker snort.

"To be honest, on the scale of our usual weirdness, that wasn't even a blip."

**Sam looked down at the badge on her chest. It was from her "Save the Frogs!" campaign. "Although, the residual popularity effect could work to our advantage."**

**She immediately ran to the field. "Oh, Kwan! You simply _must_ wear one of these 'Save the Frog' badges. It's all the rage."**

" **I don't know," Kwan said.**

**Poindexter plucked the badge out of Sam's grasp. "Hey, boss badge. Can I have one?" Without any more preambles, he put it on his shirt. The popular kids surrounded him.**

" **Hey, I want one!" said Dash.**

" **Me too," said Paulina who had followed the crowd. "I can wear it with my old army lime green baby tee!"**

"If you must know, I never actually own an old army lime green baby tee, of course. That's just 'ew', a fashion no-no's. That means I've never worn that ugly frog pin anyway, Manson," Paulina said, shooting a smug look at Sam.

Her comment was probably meant to aggravate Sam, but it was actually another example to the general student against the so-called popular kids.

"Right," Sam slowly said. "As if I'd ever depended on her to save the frogs."

Danny put one hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, eliciting a soft sigh from the goth.

**Kwan immediately approached Sam. "Give me one, 'yo! I started this trend."**

" **Hang on, folks!" ordered Sam. She smiled at the overwhelming demand. "Plenty more in my locker where that one came from." Then, she and Tucker quickly ran inside.**

**Back in the hall, locker 724 was glowing green. The door flew open in front of the passing Sam and Tucker. It caused the duo to scream.**

" **Sam! Tucker!" Danny/Poindexter called. "In here!"**

**Sam stared. "Poindexter?"**

" **No! It's me, Danny! Poindexter took over my body and sent me into this bizarre spirit world."**

**Unfortunately for Danny, Sam and Tucker were not easily convinced.**

" **Prove it!" demanded Sam.**

" **In second grade, Tucker threw up in your lunch box, but he told you Ricky Marsh did it."**

**Behind Sam, Tucker was frantically waving his hands.**

" **What?" gasped Sam. "I kicked him off the monkey bars for that! It was you?" she pointed accusingly at Tucker.**

"Because I couldn't say it then… thanks, Danny," Tucker glared at the grinning Danny.

"You're very welcome."

"Maybe Ricky Marsh is watching, and he'll soon come at you, Tucker," Sam pointed out.

Tucker groaned, but then he shrugged. "Well, he's a bit of a wimp in second grade. Let him come if he wants."

Raising one eyebrow, Danny said, "That sounds awfully like a jinx, Tuck."

**Tucker and Sam gasped in realization. Simultaneously, they turned back to the mirror.**

" **Danny?"**

**Danny pushed on the mirror harder. "The mirror acts as some kind of portal, but I can't phase through it." He sighed, dropping his shoulders in exhaustion. "Serves me right. I'm only in here because I was acting like a bully. Now I'm in here and I'm gonna get bullied for the rest of eternity!"**

"That was…dramatic," Lancer said.

Star's body swayed forward because of her curiosity on how Danny solved his predicament.

**Sam started to strategize. "You might not be able to get out, but that doesn't mean Poindexter can't get back in."**

" **I doubt he's in a big hurry to go back where he came from," Tucker added.**

**There was a poignant silence before Danny suddenly perked up. "I know how to get him in here. Here's what you need to do."**

**The idea was to have Sam running down the hall, pulling Poindexter/Danny with her.**

" **Danny! Come quick! A bully is shoving a poor, defenseless nerd inside his own locker!"**

**Tucker was already standing nearby locker 724 impassively. Poindexter came shouting, "Tucker! I'll save you!" And then, he went ghost.**

Tucker couldn't help himself _again_. He nudged his best friend. "If we didn't know any better, he almost got your act perfected."

Danny gave him a withering glance. "You're welcome to put me in a thermos if I _ever_ act like that."

"I sure will!"

**Only then Poindexter realized. "Hey, there's no nerd getting shoved inside his locker."**

**Calmly, Tucker walked forward. The hands on his back suddenly struck, being equipped with the ghost gloves. Poindexter never saw it coming. Tucker grabbed the ghost.**

" **There is now!" And Tucker shoved the nerd into the locker. From the other side, Danny immediately caught his body and pulled him through the barrier.**

" **You've had your fun. Now I want my body and my life back!"**

"What a plan!" clapped Star, along with some of the students who had started the cheering once more. The moment of confrontation was getting close. "I'm totally impressed! Now I can see how you guys escaped."

Tucker, Sam, and Danny grinned to each other; although, Danny's grin faded when his hearing picked up Paulina's "Let's make a plan for our future, Danny!" among the noisy crowd.

Mr. Lancer had a distinctly proud and satisfied look on his face.

**.**

**Ghost Zone, Time Unspecified**

Boy, Poindexter did regret having misjudged Phantom so horrendously. He had to say something to the ghost kid when he saw him next. So far, everything was going smooth for the ghostly nerd — no! He should'a gone up the flume by now!

His jig was up. His classmates had witnessed how he and the halfa exchanged bodies. But why were they letting it fly?

**Poindexter stood up and faced Danny. "Forget you, bully! You're not going anywhere." He started to fly at the halfa, using Danny's body and powers. The flight was rather uncontrolled, and when Poindexter tried to use his fists, he ended up slamming against the half-ghost with his butt.**

To say the least, the crowd was thoroughly entertained.

"Hmm, I see _he_ gets to be on the other end of that attack after all," said Desiree as she smirked.

"That attack? What, has Phantom ever attacked you with his butt?" Klemper slurred, before burying his nose on the ghostly penguin he was hugging.

Desiree chose not to dignify that with an answer.

**Danny/Poindexter slammed into a wall and unceremoniously slid down to the ground.**

" **Haha! I'm doing it!" exclaimed Poindexter as he flew at the disoriented half-ghost again. This time, he seemed to get the hang of it. He turned intangible. At the last second, Danny managed to jump out of the way.**

" **You may have my powers," Danny snapped. "But you sure don't know how to use them! Of course, I don't know how to use them, but at least I know how not to use them better than _you_ do."**

"Oh, no need to be shindy, you pals. T'was a heap of work trying to use the halfa's powers and ace it," said Poindexter in a defensive tone. Some of the ghosts were trying to give him sneering looks.

One curious ghost spoke out, "What was it like to have the boy's powers? Is a halfa's powers different from most of ours?"

Poindexter closed his eyes and trying to remember the sensation of having such potential in his finger tips, unhindered by the limitation of a ghost's drowning obsession. It was most curious to him that Phantom's powers acted like a protective cocoon, which had clicked in tandem with his desire to not let the bullies torment any helpless nerd ever again!

Poindexter summarized the highlight of his experience with a giggle. "They're as fine as cream gravy!"

**Phasing back, Poindexter tried to land another hit, but missed when Danny simply stepped out of the way.**

" **You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses." Danny casually ducked to avoid a jab. "You couldn't hit a guy with glasses." Another duck, another missed hit. "In fact, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!"**

"He's an annoying little punk, ain't he?" Johnny commented idly. Danny's enemies in the room shouted their absolute agreement.

" **Hold still!" yelled a frustrated Poindexter.**

**Suddenly, the school bell suddenly rang in that time-preserved relic of a school. Various students came out of the class, and when seeing a fight, they quickly formed a crowd.**

" **Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd chanted.**

The ghostly students who were present in the room also did the chant, causing a lot of more…uptight ghosts to glare at the high-schoolers. Youngblood heartily joined the group.

"Juvenile," muttered Spectra.

"Couldn't you control them, Britney?" Amorpho said nasally to Poindexter.

"Britney?" Poindexter mouthed back his confusion.

**Again, Poindexter tried to swing his arm, but Danny swiftly ducked under them. He did another swing that made himself spin uncontrolled instead.**

" **Hey! Get a load of Poindexter. He's fighting the halfa!"**

Poindexter hung his head in shame. "You marvelous crowd won't get a load of me anymore, do you?" He resigned himself to the fate of back being bullied for the rest of eternity.

"Hey, Poindexter!" Poindexter winced and was almost afraid to look up hearing the familiar greeting. But he lifted his head. Sure did, Elton's bulky frame was floating in front of him. The other ghosts of Casper '55 peeked out from behind him.

"…eh, you truly did stand up to the halfa anyhow."

Poindexter gaped.

"That's true, Poindexter," Linda beamed while she swished her ponytail. "That's game enough for us. Doesn't matter too much you were winning or losing."

"I'll say!" Elton agreed. "You went up against he who defeated King Pariah. Losing's not a wimpy act, unless you're Pariah Dark himself. Although"—Elton frowned—"If that was the case, then we would be deader than a deadbeat."

"Really?" Poindexter felt tears starting to gather at the corner of his eyes.

Elton smirked and leaned forward, jabbing one finger at the nerd's chest. "You better believe it."

Poindexter let out a delighted squeal, "By jingo! I thought you would be mad as hatters. Blimey! This is absi-tively awe-fantastic—OW!" Elton's finger had suddenly flicked up and hit his nose, hard.

"Got you fooled again, nerd!"

The ghosts of Casper '55 floated away, cackling in glee, leaving Poindexter to stare at them in disbelief. A few other ghosts shot the stumped nerd a pitying look, but made no move to help. The majority was simply laughing, entertained.

All the while, Poindexter sighed and rubbed his throbbing nose. He hunched his shoulders before retreating to one corner of the lair.

.

**Casper High Basketball Court, 21.04 p.m.**

" **Look at him stand up to that weird-haired ghost boy."**

Muffled chuckles were heard when Danny's angry glower rang out through the assembly.

"Weird-haired? Kinda rich coming from a guy who has Elvis hair!"

**Danny/Poindexter took offense at that. "I'm not a bully!"**

**However, the distraction gave Poindexter the opportunity to finally land a punch, throwing Danny into locker 724. The locker door closed behind him.**

" **Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna live it up some more in _your_ body," proclaimed Poindexter victoriously.**

**But Danny stepped out of the locker, holding the mirror above his head.**

**Poindexter recoiled. "What!"**

" **One false move, and I smash your door back to my world."**

" **You wouldn't! You'd strand us both here!"**

**Danny started to lower the mirror. "Try me!" When Poindexter made a move to reach it, he quickly moved it out of reach.**

"What if he didn't listen to you?" gasped Nathan.

"But he did though. We know he wanted to get out so bad." Danny shrugged, glancing at Sam and Tucker. "We took a calculated risk."

**Poindexter stopped short. He blinked and then smirked. "I've got a better idea. I can make you. With your powers, I can make you do anything."**

**So, Poindexter turned his—Danny's—body intangible and … dived into Danny. Poindexter's body glowed green.**

" **That's what I was hoping you'd do," Danny's voice echoed.**

"Ah!" Nathan leaned back and smiled.

**Thus, there was a brief struggle as Poindexter's body twisted and turned uncontrollably, before Danny—now in his own body—flew up to the air. Poindexter came around and saw what happened. He screamed in despair. Danny quickly speeded to the mirror, a green light signifying his exit.**

The crowd burst into cheers and hollers, while Danny smiled softly and watched them with tired eyes.

"You did good. They get to watch a memorable lesson against bullying," Sam's smile turned to frown as she took in his exhausted posture.

**Poindexter picked up the discarded mirror. "I'll get out of here, buster brown! And when I do, you better watch it!"**

"Is it bad that I feel bad for Poindexter? Just look at the way he screamed," said Danny, frowning.

"Considering all the trouble he put us in, nope," Tucker shook his head. "No regret from me."

" **Hey, nerd!" A group of students came up behind Poindexter. "Nice job standing up to the halfa."**

" **Who'd have thought you had it in you?"**

" **You wanna grab an egg cream?"**

**Poindexter looked surprised, but then he smiled. He gently put the mirror back inside the locker. "Of course, I could hang in here for a little bit." He happily approached the group. "Hey, the heck with the egg cream! Who's up for a diet soda? Whatever that is!"**

"At least he's now doing somewhat better, Danny," Sam said.

Danny nodded. "I can't imagine what it was like for him before when he got bullied forever! It must have sucked."

"It still sucks to be stuck in a high school forever," snorted Tucker.

**The scene left Casper '55 and moved to the present-day one. Mr. Lancer was in the middle of carrying a box of frogs when he passed locker 724 — right at the moment when Danny fell upon him. The frogs escaped from the overturned box once more.**

"Um…oops?" Danny grinned and looked at Mr. Lancer sheepishly.

To his surprise, Lancer was only shook his head and smiled back.

" **No! Come back!" Lancer shouted while chasing the frogs.**

"Run, Lancer, run!"

Lancer stood up. "Alright, who is it?"

He was only greeted by snickers and chuckles.

**Sam, who along with Tucker watched him pass by, put her hands on her face, saying, "Oh dear, whatever will we do?" She saw Danny walking to them. "Good one, Danny!"**

" **Yeah," Tucker agreed. "But how do we know you're really Danny?"**

**Danny was looking down, downcast expression on his face. "Because I used my powers for the wrong reason and became exactly the kind of person I hate. It got me into a load of trouble…and I'm not gonna do that again."**

Danny blushed as the crowd let out their cheers and whoops once again. The teachers were exclaiming their approval out loud.

**Sam smiled happily. "Now that's the Danny I remember."**

" **Just one more thing to do," said Danny as he grabbed the mirror out of his locker. He proceeded to throw it to the ground. It broke into small glass pieces.**

" **Fenton! That's school property!"**

**Danny, Sam, and Tucker turned around, startled, to find Lancer and a large group of students behind him. They were wearing "Save the Frogs!" badges and holding signs for the campaign.**

"Considering everything, I still say that was one of my most successful campaigns," Sam stated proudly. "The frogs got saved, the bad ghost got sent away, and the best thing is—I didn't see any girl wearing an army shirt!"

Glaring at Sam, Paulina quickly replied, "It's an old army lime green baby tee, you stupid."

"Who cares?" But Sam stopped when she felt Danny gently tugging her shirt.

"Sam, can you please let it go for this time?"

Danny's pleading eyes made Sam bit back her sharp retort.

" **I can explain!" Danny said, before pausing to think. "Actually… I really can't."**

"Yeah, he should've said that the legend of locker 724 was really true," Debby said. She was shaking her wrist because it was cramped, from writing too many notes for the school newspaper.

"Hell yeah, alongside fact that he was the ghost boy," someone said sarcastically.

Debby smiled, embarrassed.

" **I'm holding you responsible for this," Lancer lectured, "And the escaped frogs, but seeing how upstanding students like Dash Baxter have made their opinions known, I'm willing to overlook the frogs. Miss Manson, you can learn a thing or two from them about activism."**

"I deeply apologize, Miss Manson, for my misunderstanding of the situation," Lancer said candidly.

"It's fine, Mr. Lancer," answered Sam.

**Lancer pulled out a notebook and a pencil. "Still, that leaves the matter of your locker. I'm going to have to assign you a new one."**

**There was a transition to the hall right in front of the Band Room. Danny stared at the sign ruefully as he closed his new locker. Kwan and Dash approached.**

" **Hanging with band geeks, Fenton?"**

" **No amount of free soda's gonna fix that."**

"What's wrong with band geeks!?" The marching band club members thundered on Kwan and Dash, now that the table had turned. Kwan followed Dash's example and stayed quiet. Because really, what could they say in their defense?

**When the jocks left, Danny was approached by two band members.**

" **Hi, I'm Lyle. Wanna help me clean my spit valve?" The boy offered his spit-covered trumpet.**

"Yeah, Danny! The offer still stands, ya know?" beamed Lyle from the back. "You always walk so fast whenever we meet in the hall."

Danny, his unfortunate locker neighbor, grimaced. "Yeah….that's cause I–I'm…busy! Yeah, fighting ghosts and all that jazz."

Lyle and his friends wolf-whistled, while Sam and Tucker struggled not to laugh.

**Sighing, Danny muttered to himself, "My fifteen minutes of popularity is up, and I wasn't even here for it!"**

**Sam stood next to him, holding a mechanical frog. "Yeah, but at least it wasn't a total loss. Looks like this baby's gonna get some use after all."**

**However, something snatched the frog out of Sam's hands. It was the Box Ghost. "Aha! I am no longer the Box Ghost! I am now the mechanical frog ghost!"**

"And that's how the whole idea turned totally lame," deadpanned Sam.

**The frog suddenly malfunctioned as electric sparks danced on its metal coating. The Box Ghost quickly dropped it onto Tucker's head.**

"This is why, students, the school eventually turned down the mechanical frog program," Ishiyama reflected, "The health and safety hazards are too much compared to its supposed environmental benefits. This includes the risk of electrocution."

"Ouch," Danny mumbled.

"Did ya just get triggered? Did ya?"

"That little piece of electronics you're holding looks remarkably like a target practice, Tuck."

"No! You. shall. not. harm. Cindy!"

Both boys eventually fell victim to Sam's incredible smacking skills.

" **Uh, I've changed my mind! I am once again the Box Ghost, who will have nothing to do with mechanical amphibians! Beware!" With that, he phased away and disappeared.**

**Danny smiled. "Now there's a guy who knows exactly who he is."**

**The episode ended.**

**.**

Their hands were busy tidying up the mess they made in their seats, so they could leave the school premise sooner. The principal had ordered no one to leave until the hall was in order. As they shoveled bits of snacks and empty cups of glasses into a huge trash bag that was passed around, the trio remained painfully aware of the glances sent their way.

Tucker's phone suddenly rang. His whole countenance brightened. "A moment, guys!" called Tucker, before running off outside their hearing distance. Danny and Sam stared after him.

"He'd better be not bailing out. This stuff is mostly his," Sam grumbled, using a crumpled piece of paper to scoop up leftover Doritos.

Danny glanced at the thermos secured safely inside his backpack. "I'm going to return the Box Ghost to the Zone."

"So ends our two weeks of sabbatical," remarked Sam without looking up. "I can't wait 'till he'll be bugging you every four hours or so."

"Yeah, he was bugging some kids when I caught him earlier…"

Sam looked up. "Danny?"

He was mumbling to himself. "…I shouldn't have left so fast. They just lost their father and all, and I can't—what the heck am I supposed to do?"

"Hey," she waved a hand in his face. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing!"

"Danny…Is this about…what happened?" she said heavily. Sam knew a minefield when she saw one. "You still haven't told me the full story, you know. It might…help, especially after what happened in City Hall with that insane doctor. You never acted like that, and it's…." Sam wanted to say 'scary', but Danny was particularly sensitive whenever his scarier ghostly nature was brought up.

"It's like…something's not right. There's such a thing as feeling overly guilty, you know?"

"I said nothing, Sam," Danny scowled, surprising Sam. She'd be lying to say it didn't hurt a little bit inside. "Why are you always so quick to say something's wrong with me?"

That was a low blow for her. Sam just wanted to help, but if he wanted to do it his way, then… "Fine! So all that crying in the City Hall is nothing then! So…that someone being killed in a ghost attack is nothing to you?"

And Sam immediately regretted what she did once Danny's wide-eyes snapped up at her in horror. So he was _still_ feeling guilty about that, and Sam had just stabbed the wound with a hot poker.

"Danny, I—"

"Do you want to know what happened, Sam? All the gory details about how he died? You'll like that, huh? I can tell you how his skin is no longer white. There's only red and black and all the meat peeling off. I can tell you that he was still breathing when I found him in the upper room, even though the bones in his left shoulder were smoking. I can tell you how much I felt like a _damn kid_ – and I dunno why everyone's still cheering me on when they knew I was practically killing him. Sam, I think he just stopped breathing in my arms. And I—"

Sam watched with wide-eyes while Danny took a breath after speaking like a fast train.

Danny wasn't finished. "I can tell you the exact moment when I wanted to _kill_ Matthews when he shot that bullet at her. I almost lost her—and you and Tuck— in one single night! And I don't want to find out what is to come! I wanted to make him suffer. I wanted to…take his humanity away"—the overshadowing-like experience flashed in his mind—"Sam, I just have no idea where this is all going. It's just…too big," finished Danny quietly.

There was a momentary silence between the two. "That feels good?" Sam began, smiling hesitantly.

"…yes."

.

Tucker walked quickly to his best friends. Sam and Danny looked up abruptly on his arrival. They seemed startled, but Tucker did not wonder about the strangeness of these two peas in a pod.

"—yeah, yeah I know, but you know he'll prolly go on one last patrol or something unless there's proof—wait a sec…hey, guys! This is Val talking."

He shoved the phone under Danny's face with a grin.

" _Hello? Is this Danny? Sam? Sorry I went home earlier…"_

.

.

**To be continued in "Repercussions" a.k.a. Interlude #2**


	13. Repercussions

**Chapter 13: Repercussions  
Interlude #2**

**.**

**.**

**_The story so far…_ **

_After an eventful night watching the terrifyingly accurate documentation of Danny's earliest adventures, no one is any closer to finding out the ghost Observant who's orchestrating everything behind the screen. Meanwhile, Danny's troubles have only just begun. In fact, they've increased exponentially in two short nights, as he had to deal with more and more of his personal life being exposed, both to the human world and the ghost world. There seems to be no end to this tell-all show; secrets are bared, relationships are changed, and repercussions are coming._

_With increased exposure come new players on the board. The Guys in White are cooking up new tricks on their sleeves, despite their supposedly estranged relation from the government. A self-proclaimed rouge from the organization seeks the secret of creating halfas, much to Danny's chagrin, to the point that he was willing to kidnap Paulina in order to bait the ghost boy himself. Moreover, Danny has to struggle with the aftermath of a ghost fight gone horribly wrong, while his relationship with Sam faces direct opposition from none other than Sam's mother. In the meantime, Casper High's hierarchy structure has been turned upside down. The A-listers' conduct has to be held accountable, and some teachers' careless disregard has been made known. Similarly, the Ghost Zone stood witness to the revelation of Skulker's true form, and the ensuing fight that occurred between the Zone's greatest hunter and famous diva. Before long, Poindexter's carefully built reputation was also torn down, and the poor ghostly nerd's future afterlife is not looking good._

_These, however, are only the calm before the storm…_

_._

**Previously…**

_"—yeah, yeah I know, but you know he'll prolly go on one last patrol or something unless there's proof—wait a sec…hey, guys! This is Val talking."_

_He shoved the phone under Danny's face with a grin._

" _Hello? Is this Danny? Sam? Sorry I went home earlier…"_

_._

Danny and Sam exchanged surprised glances before Sam's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and replied, "You went home earlier? This isn't like you." Valerie was usually so relentless and single-minded, just as she used to chase Danny before she knew his secret.

"Hey, man!" Tucker exclaimed with a grin. "If she's tired then she can go home just fine. Piss off the lady, guys. Danny and Sam—yes, especially you Sam, you nasty slave driver—wouldn't know the meaning of a good long rest even if it's dancing in front of 'em!"

Sam glowered at Tucker while Danny simply rolled his eyes. The sound of chuckling emanated from the phone's speaker.

" _Tucker's usual lame jokes aside,"_ continued Valerie, ignoring—or maybe not catching—Tucker's "Hey!". _"You managed to find the queen bee and take her back?"_

"Yeah," Danny affirmed, but did not elaborate, causing a stretched silence between them as Valerie waited for more.

" _Um….okay? That's great,"_ she then replied in slight confusion. _"I'll see you guys tomorrow then. My dad's not happy about phone calls. Something about the bills or whatever."_

Tucker hurriedly grabbed the phone and turned off the loudspeaker function before Valerie had the chance to hang up.

"Hey–hey, Val! You can't just leave me hanging like this! Is that a yes or a no? Aw, come on—"

Meanwhile, Sam's eyebrows were still raised. Now the surprise turned into confusion. She turned to Danny, sharing the same bemusement wordlessly without realizing it. Danny only shrugged, as if to say 'what can we do anyway'.

They turned their attention to Tucker who, in the attempt of his rather desperate and completely indiscreet wooing, ended up looking more and more amusing.

"He calls her 'Val' already," he whispered to Sam.

Sam smirked.

"—u–uh ye–es, Mr. Gray. I–I'm hanging up now. See? Hanging up!" Tucker promptly did so and then turned to his friends with a sour look.

"Darn it! She gave her phone to her dad!"

.

**The Gray's Apartment Floor, 21.26 p.m.**

Damon Gray closed the call with an angry glower. "So this is the boy who's been calling you, Valerie?"

Struggling to contain her giggles, that she'd only show in front of her dad of course, Valerie replied, "Oh, Dad, that's just Tucker, you know, a friend of Danny. He's just asking me if I was okay."

"Hmph," Damon grunted as he finished wrapping the last of the bandages on his daughter's shoulder. "I did watch the program, honey. Tucker Foley, the best friend, yes? Boy wearing glasses and a red beret?" The ex-security guard conceded, "At least that boy was useful when I met him last. So I take it you've…ah…amended relation with them?"

"I...apologized to Danny…" Valerie suddenly hissed when the father's capable hand rubbed alcohol on the cut on her cheek. "I think he's got too many blows on the head, Dad .… It's so _crazy_ , he didn't hold any grudge against me." Then, she added more quietly, "You know I would if I was him."

Damon sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. "I never told you how proud you've made this old man than he could've possibly thought. You grew up to be a beautiful, strong, and wise woman...just like your mother. I know she'd be proud of you, too."

Looking down, Valerie tried to hide her emotions.

Continuing, Damon said, "I'm just glad you have friends watching your back now, honey. Friends who can understand what you're going through. You've been putting yourself down these past few months, and I don't like seeing you come home like…this." The father looked at the battered and exhausted state of his daughter warily. "If you're going ghost hunting, I want you to have a back-up absolutely, you hear me?"

Valerie gave him a tight smile. "Dad, it's nothing."

"Nothing's nothing," countered Damon, who was still staring at the girl sternly. "At least when Phantom's with you, I can breathe a bit easily."

"I don't need no—"

"—and," Damon loudly said, "his two friends to aid you. What's the name, again? Ah, Tucker and Sam Manson. They've done a good job so far."

Valerie sighed. She was just too tired to get into an argument against her father. At least he had given up his stubborn stance of not letting her ghost-hunting.

Damon, noticing that she was near her limit, guided her to her bed. "Now, let me see that beautiful smile of my one and only daughter."

Valerie smiled back at her Dad, letting him tucking her into her covers. Damon stood up and went to the door, turning back once again before he flipped off the lamp switch.

"But you are currently under no condition to be ghost hunting with them, missy," he said sternly, "Phantom or no Phantom."

Valerie growled softly under the covers, waiting until the lights were turned off and her father's footsteps could no longer be heard. Her eyes were still wide open hours later because her mind kept repeating a scene that would haunt her from then on.

.

" _Remember our deal, Huntress."_

_._

The trip back home from the Foley's had been a somber affair for the three Fenton family members. Jazz sat on the back seat of the RV staring out of the tinted windows. For once, Maddie was the one driving so that the vehicle was moving along calmly. Jack had agreed to sit shotgun because it was a short drive after all. However, even without the extra concentration needed as the driver, Jack Fenton was uncharacteristically silent. When the Fentons were quiet, some might say the end of the world was near.

….although the reason why was actually not as dramatic as that.

When they were having refreshment just before the last segment/episode played, Jazz's phone rang. After Jazz received the call, she was shocked into silence by whatever words the caller was saying to her. She then turned her eyes to the TV and grabbed the remote, changing the channel to one which was not focused on showing her little brother's past exploits. Yet, they were treated again by Danny's alter-ego name plastered across the breaking news headline.

Needless-to-say, it was a pandemonium of panic, hysterics, and a lot of pacification efforts from Jazz, Maurice and Angela — as the worried mother and father were prepared to storm into _both_ Casper High and Eastern Amity in search of the errant son (that was, after Maddie and Jack got over the novelty that the often-mentioned Phantom in the news — they used to dismiss any Phantom news as "poor citizens getting brainwashed by that biased coverage"—was in fact their own son). Thankfully, Jazz's assurance that Danny could handle himself just fine, and that he was essentially no longer dependent on his parents, managed to calm the fretting parents down, although Jazz could have worded her sentences more kindly since Maddie and Jack looked positively glum afterwards.

So here they were, now sitting quietly in the living room, still worrying over Danny, especially because his phone couldn't be reached after the abrupt end of his last call. Soon enough, the sound of someone opening the front door was heard and the three-out-of-four Fentons watched as the clueless youngest member started to creep toward the stairs.

"Danny?" Maddie called, interrupting the boy's sneaking to the basement lab. Danny looked up and unconsciously winced, seeing all of his family waiting and staring at him.

"Mom? Dad? Jazz? Uh…are you guys…waiting for me?"

.

"Did I…break the new curfew?" Danny continued, still sporting the deer-caught-in-the-headlight look.

"No, sweetheart. We'd just like to ask you," Maddie began, caught off-guard by her son being his usual laid-back self. She and Jack had, to some extent, expected him to be a nervous wreck if what they'd seen in the news was true. However, the mother then caught sight of his bandaged hand. "Danny, what is that?"

"What is wha—oh, it's nothing," he quickly said, hiding said hand and waving the thermos on his other hand. "Listen, mom, I need to—"

"Daniel James Fenton! Let me take a look at that." Without further ado, Maddie immediately out-maneuvered her son to seize the wounded body part. Danny stared in dread as his mom started her gentle examination. Jack approached closer while Jazz simply looked on, snickering quietly at the 'help me' look her little brother sent her.

"Sweetie," she whispered while undoing the makeshift bandages. "I think your wrist is broken and your palm has a _freaking_ _hole_ in it!" Becoming increasingly frantic and harassed, Maddie shouted, "Jack! We need to get him to a hospital!"

Jack was staring at the mangled, red-and-green-covered wound in some sort of trance.

"Mom!" Danny exclaimed as he planted his feet on the ground while being unceremoniously dragged by Maddie. "No! No hospital, please! This is like a scratch. There's nothing for you to be worried about."

"A scratch!?" Maddie looked like she was about to seriously question her son's sanity.

"Son, that looks like someone tried to shoot you in the hand," Jack cut in, voice laded with gravity. He was by now hovering worriedly over the mother and son pair. "You need a serious medical treatment."

"I don't need to go to a hospital. It's gonna be healed by tomorrow. I promise," insisted Danny. "Jazz, help me."

"Danny usually heals pretty fast," the sister said as she hurriedly bounced down the stairs. Jazz had gone upstairs to retrieve Danny's usual first-aid kit. Now she was laying out the contents on the coffee table. "Besides, we'd just bring unnecessary attention on top of what we're dealing right now."

"Speaking of unnecessary attention, we have to do something about those people camping outside. I don't want to walk invisible the rest of my life just to enter my own house. Where'd they come from, anyway?"

"You know, little brother, you could just, oh I don't know, give them an interview or a press conference like you should've days ago?"

"Yeah, the moment they see me out and _visible_ , I'm dead." Right on cue, Jazz rolled her eyes. "Remember the underwear incident?" Danny continued with a shudder. "The only thing worse is when I once had that nightmare I told you about walking in on Skulker and Ember."

"Ew, Danny! Bad reminder!" Jazz threw her hands up in exasperation. "Just give it to an official channel on TV."

"Yeah? Well, it can't be that easy. So I just walk inside and say, 'hi, I'm Danny Phantom' and they'll interview me?"

" _Yes!_ "

"Children!" Maddie interrupted, giving the teens a glare. "Let's not get sidetracked from the _current_ issue here."

"Seriously, Mom, this is not that big of an issue," snapped Danny, annoyed. "There's a pattern to this. I might get cut up a bit, which is usually not that often,"—he glared at Jazz who'd snorted to herself—"we do some first aids, I go to sleep, then everything's good like new."

"Not anymore, young man," Maddie responded sternly. "Now sit and let me bandage your wrist properly."

Danny sighed but obeyed. After all, his mom had accepted Jazz's reasoning and stopped pushing him to the hospital. "Can I do this in my room by myself, Mom? Maybe you could take a look at it tomorrow? I'm kinda tired right now."

Maddie's eyes softened when she finally took in the boy's appearance: the exhausted slump of his shoulders; the slight sway of his body — even though they were sitting down; the tiny little cuts and burns on his arms that she'd overlooked because of the state of the bandaged wrist. She was also concerned because her son didn't show any of the emotional distress they'd expected him to show.

"You can go to sleep after I clean this up and you drink the medicine, okay? I'll be quick," Maddie said, using a piece of gauze to stop the still-bleeding wound. If Danny was in pain, he didn't give any indication to it. "Are you the one who did the dressing first, honey? You didn't do a very good job I'm afraid."

"Um, no, it was Sam. We're kinda preoccupied back then."

"Preoccupied?" Jazz echoed all of a sudden, raising both eyebrows as she grinned down at her brother. "You and Sam? Oh, Danny, that's so not what you want to tell mom."

"Nice going, son," Jack said with a wink. Some tension had apparently left his body even though his eyes deliberately avoided the arm Maddie was working on.

"What?" Danny asked, before realizing and blushing. "Oh no, it's nothing like that! Jazz!" Then he couldn't stop a small groan as his mother moved his wrist a little bit.

"Sorry, sweetie. See? It's a clean fracture."

"What ghost did you fight, Danno?" Jack gently asked. "They deserve to be shot in the face by our Fenton Bazooka!"

"Not a ghost. Dad, you guessed right. Was trying to stop a bullet. Didn't work," answered Danny. His voice was getting quieter.

Maddie stopped what she was doing for a moment to share a glance with Jack and Jazz.

" _Someone_ has shot you, Danny?" gasped Jazz.

"Son?"

"He's…he's not that important. Some ex-GiW agent or something. I don't know," muttered Danny, not looking at any of them. "Actually, he tried to shoot Paulina because she was kidnapped and—well, it's a long story." Danny smiled sheepishly.

"I can't believe it." Jazz gripped the edge of the sofa tightly. "Why would anybody want to hurt you? I know the ghosts is another story. But humans? You saved the world two weeks ago for goodness sake!"

Danny shrugged. "You're the psychologist."

They spent the next several minutes speculating about the ex-GiW agent Danny had mentioned. The Guys-in-White had never been publicly renounced by both the Amity Park authorities and the federal government — especially in the light of the rising public favor toward ghosts — but they had never been officially affiliated in paper either. Aside from the specific periods when they were present in Amity, nobody really knew much about them. The term 'Guys-in-White' itself was most likely a moniker. Maddie and Jack, who had once worked with them, could not contribute significant information therefore. It was Jazz in particular who grew worried about this recent development. On the contrary, Danny was very reluctant to open up and was withdrawing more and more into himself.

The parents were still in an awkward place whenever Danny or Jazz casually referenced something Phantom-related. When Maddie insisted for Danny to take some pain-relieving medicine, she was told that painkillers and prescription drugs couldn't work in the half-ghost's system. Of course, that put the mother in a difficult place when she realized the extent of the wound: a couple of _shattered_ metacarpal bones and a part-broken radius. Danny said he had somehow deflected the bullet, and reassured his mother that he'd rather do it once again than take one of Skulker's blades to his torso, where the hunter usually liked to aim.

Maddie didn't want to find out whether her son was joking or not.

.

At the end, Jack had gone to the basement lab by himself, citing that he needed to work on a new invention because he just got a marvelous idea! Jazz left for her room, managing to annoy her little brother just before she left. Danny grumbled as he used his unoccupied hand to tidy up his hair after she mussed it up, and he called out to her with a smirk firmly on his face, "You know, I hear your phone vibrating like crazy, Jazz."

 _That_ made her turn around in surprise. But she quickly recovered.

"So what?" Jazz challenged and stuck her tongue out, then she promptly slammed the door to her room shut.

.

"Sheesh," Danny mumbled. Maddie secretly smiled watching the siblings' interaction.

.

In the ensuing silence, Maddie remembered that they initially wanted to get him open up about the death which was on the news. Would that be like poking a stick to an emotional wound, though? She wasn't sure, yet she was sure her baby boy had looked so hurt and so… _so agonized..._ in that grainy footage. She was supposed to be his mother. Maddie inwardly cursed her inability to understand. _Isn't it what mothers are supposed to do? Am I such a bad mother that I have to ask myself that question?_

_Sorry baby._

.

Danny sat stoically while Maddie finished dabbing the ointment on the open flesh. In theory, ghosts had enhanced regenerative power to heal the damages their ectoplasmic membranes sustained. But it was difficult to think about theories when this was her son, and her son was not all gooey ectoplasm underneath. There were bones, muscles and sinews.

"This still looks horrible and needs medical attention, Danny," she muttered for yet another time. " _Proper_ medical attention."

"It's _fine_. I've experienced worse, Mom. I heal fast," answered Danny stiffly, sounding like a broken record.

Maddie bit her tongue and started using a new, sterile bandage on the wound.

"Had a long day, didn't you, sweetie?" Maddie murmured, feeling Danny's nod against her after he yawned and leaned his head on her shoulder, now slowly losing the battle against his drowsiness. "I was thinking the other day. We used to be so close together, before you had your accident. I miss that kind of connection we had, Danny. You know you can share anything with me now, right?"

Danny made a sound of agreement, so Maddie took it as her cue to continue.

"So…is there anything you'd like to share?"

"...um, no, not really."

She sighed. "Just tell me anything," prompted Maddie, trying to get him open up about the latest incident they saw on the news in a round-about way. "Like school, or Sam, or maybe, any ghost hunting activity you did tonight?"

Danny shifted. "What's this about, Mom?"

"Nothing, just ... something I saw on the news…about what happened tonight," Maddie murmured softly, hands pausing momentarily to look at her son's face. He was frowning, and with an intuition that only a mother could have, Maddie decided confronting him directly was not the best course of action. "Nevermind, I—"

"Sam gave me a long speech about it."

"...She did?"

"Um, yeah..." Danny shifted more in discomfort.

"About you and Sam," she slowly offered, changing the conversation's course, "your father and I have long thought you'd end up together."

It worked. Danny immediately blushed, but looked much happier. "Mo-om…! I don't need to know that."

Maddie chuckled. Pausing to consider her words, she finally told him, "Hey, you'll always have me no matter what, you know that?" She bent down and kissed the top of his head.

Danny wrinkled his nose and tried to move away half-heartedly. "Mom, stop embarrassing me and being gross!"

"Shush, stop moving. You're making this more difficult," reprimanded Maddie with a grin, as she finished a particular tight knot in order to put everything in place so that nothing was jostled until the healing took place. Danny eyed his forearm critically, before leaning back, sighing in satisfaction.

"Fine," he mumbled. "Just don't tell my friends anything."

She cleaned her hands with a piece of cotton cloth just before finishing the whole treatment. "Don't worry, honey. I won't tell anybody the great superhero is being cuddled by his mom," teased Maddie while tousling his hair playfully with one hand.

Giving up, Danny groaned and buried his abashed face against the woman's shoulder.

"Honestly, what were you thinking, trying to catch a bullet? You're lucky it didn't go through and hit other parts of your body. Sweetie, I'm really proud of what you do, I really am. But I can honestly do without having you in danger every day. I…know I haven't been the best mother who pays attention to your well-being, but sweetheart…I'm trying to be now, and I'm concerned about your lack of care when it comes to yourself, your welfare in particular. I just hope—Danny…?"

It was then she realized Danny had finally fallen asleep somewhere along her rant. Maddie gently put down his mending hand on his lap and then moved his head into a more comfortable position against her shoulder. She stayed there for a while, fingers brushing through her boy's hair in a comforting gesture. The house went quiet with only the sounds of her breathing and Danny's soft snores in the living room. Truth to be told, Maddie enjoyed the silence for a while; their lives had been in a non-stop motion since ... she actually no longer remembered when. And she knew it was about to escalate more—whether for better or worse, that remained to be decided. One thing she was sure of, _we're living in a time when the world knows the supernatural is possible,_ she thought as she looked down at her extraordinary son. The cuts and burns on Danny's arms slowly faded from visibility, rapidly healing at a supernatural rate.

_Seeing is believing indeed._

It was fascinating to her scientist mind, and she couldn't stop her mind for conjuring up hundreds of different possibilities opened with the possibility of human and ghost's DNA mixed. It was world-changing.

.

And her son was at the front and center.

_Oh God._

_._

_._

"I was super busy."

_"I know you are. That's what late-night calls are for, babe. Bah, I miss my angel."_

"Oh shut it, you." A girlish giggle. "Flattery's nice, but won't get you anywhere with me."

_"Hm, sure we can cozy up together, no need to go anywhere. What dayya say?"_

"Nice try."

_"Parents still home, I take it?"_

" ... Just _what_ do you think you're going to do if they weren't, mister?"

Loud laughter.

" _Wanna know what I think? Under that studious, intelligent, good daughter persona, there's a wild lion wanting to come out. Preferably in bed."_

"Wow. I ... seriously don't know what to say."

_"Great! I love making you speechless!"_

"No, I mean _that_ was just dumb, Grayson. Listen, let's stop your compulsive talking syndrome for a moment—"

_"Are we gonna play this doctor-patient thingy again, 'cause I'm all for having you as my psychiatrist."_

"—stop the flirting for goddamned sake, Nick! My brother's downstairs with my mom, and he's _almost_ onto us."

_"...well, fuck."_

"Don't you think it's time to tell my family, about _us_?"

_"...your brother is going to pummel me to death."_

"And so is my mom, and my dad. Seriously, Danny's not that scary."

_"So you say."_

"He's rather clueless, really."

_"Has anyone ever told you it takes a lot of balls just to ask you out?"_

"Honestly! As long as you dress well and refrain from cussing, you'll be fine. Are you telling me you're backing out now? That you're too _cowardly_ to continue our relationship? Please, Nicholas..." _._

A heavy sigh. _"I'll…think about it. Promise. That be fine, baby?"_

.

In a moment of pure happiness, Jazz Fenton quickly grabbed a hold of her pillow, stuffed her face into it, and screamed.

.

When Danny blinked himself awake the next morning, he was surprised for the undisturbed sleep he'd had; surprised as in, feeling decidedly wacky and suspicious. You know how people were able to set themselves into work or study mode after a long break? Danny did exactly that — sans replacing work with ghost hunting (would be a miracle for his grades if he was able to get into that study mode) — so that he was left confused when said work didn't come. However, his muddled mind thankfully made the connection to the thermos he'd forgotten to empty last night. Poor Box Ghost had spent the night inside. As uncomfortable as Danny felt laying on the sofa, the ghost had it worse.

 _Wait, the sofa?_ Danny struggled a bit with the comforter he was laying under. When he finally looked around, he was apparently still in the living room, and the sun was barely out, according to the bluish orange sky behind the windows. Great, he could catch more sleep before school began.

"Danno!"

_Or not._

A whiff of coffee aroma assaulted his sense of smell as Jack Fenton came and swept the blanket away from the sleepy boy who had attempted to hide himself at the first sound of his father's enthusiastic steps.

"Come on, Danny! I know you're awake there!"

Danny half-heartedly glared at the grinning man holding a coffee cup in his grasp. "Dad," he moaned, "it's like, five in the morning."

"I know! So it's been almost seven hours of me working on my new Phantom-compatible invention! Son, you have to see it! It's almost done!"

"W—wait, Phantom-com–compatible?" Danny asked while cracking a yawn.

"Yep!" Taking a sip of his caffeinated beverage, Jack offered, "Here, some coffee. Sorry I ate all the fudge supplies."

Unable to refrain from smiling, Danny asked, "Is' good?" He had never tasted caffeine before. He usually preferred splashing cold water to his face. But situation demanded; he didn't want to be ungrateful since his dad seemed to work overnight to make something for _him_ , so he took some gulps.

"Is good, isn't it?" Jack laughed at the half-surprised, half-disgusted look her son made due to the bitter flavor. "How's your hand?" the father asked more softly. Danny moved his hand from under the blanket, and wiggled his fingers with a smile. The broken bones were at least no more. Jack stared in wonder.

"Well then, come to the basement!" the man exclaimed, unable to hold it anymore. Then Danny was practically dragged to their destination.

.

A while later, Jack was happily tinkering with some liquid-filled beakers on the lab table, while Danny sat down and watched him. Danny had ran back earlier to take his thermos, and emptied it to the recently-repaired ghost portal through the control system. The elder ghost hunter pouted a bit when there was no opportunity to study the grumbling pudgy ghost before he was sucked into the swirling green. In the meantime, Danny's system had been fully immersed in the joy of caffeine, so he was somewhat awake.

"What do you want to show me, Dad?" Danny leaned against a steel table and crossed his arms, unable to see what his dad was working on beyond the man's bulk.

Jack looked ecstatic — that was usually Danny's first cue of running far far away from another dangerous invention — while Danny peered cautiously around to see...beakers of multiple sizes, a rack of Erlenmeyer flasks, some peculiar funnels, and no weapon whatsoever. _What the..._

"Wait for it, Danny-boy. This special substance needs short refining for it to take a more stable form." Jack grabbed one flask filled with some yellow liquid, and poured the piss-like substance into an elaborate funnel. The resulting downpour was colorless instead of yellow, and it trickled slowly while he waited with another beaker at the bottom.

See this? It's an obscure substance Maddie, Vladdi...erm...I mean, Maddie and I had worked on a while back, but since it has zero damaging effect on ghosts, we discontinued it," Jack looked regretful. "Sorry about that."

Danny simply rolled his eyes and nodded.

"We call it ectoplasmic resin, or the ecto-resin." The beaker was now half-way filled with the colorless liquid. Jack took the glass carefully and showed it to his son. The smell made Danny's nose crinkle.

"Um, Dad? I think you need to work on the smell."

Jack frowned a bit and brought it close to his nose. "Ah, it does smell like fudge, or one of Maddie's cookies...which is great, of course, makes it easier to digest!"

"What—fudge!?" exclaimed Danny whose eyes had gone wide. "Dad, please don't tell me you're gonna _drink_ it."

"Ha ha, Danno! Of course I don't need to drink it! _You_ do!" Oblivious to the look on his son's face, Jack continued explaining, "The Fenton ecto-resin is essentially the antithesis to our ecto-dejecto—when it's working correctly as I intended of course! Where the dejecto serum is designed to weaken ghosts, the resin serum strengthens a ghost's inner workings, which theoretically should help strengthen your body's fortification as well. Oh, I can't wait to see the results!"

The ecto-dejecto, to Danny's personal experience, was a miraculous serum he had used to save Dani, his younger female clone who preferred to be his "third cousin once removed", from de-stabilization into goop. His dad unintentionally made the serum function as the opposite of what he'd intended.

"So it's like a ghost vitamin?" Danny clarified, cautiously hopeful. Maybe it was truly an improved version of the dejecto.

"Yep, exactly!' Jack said in pride, grinning when he finally detected Danny's interest. "Now, go on, try it," he urged, placing the liquid-filled beaker in his son's hands.

"But dad…" The half-ghost boy grimaced. He wasn't kidding when he said it smelled, like a fried poop, for lack of a more eloquent expression on said boy's part. However, his father'd been making it overnight _just for him_ , and Danny would feel guilty the rest of his life if he refused, judging from the expectant look on Jack's face. He sighed and held his breath, bringing the beaker to his mouth. "Cheers," he told his dad rather gloomily.

"Son, wait! I forgot to say your human body might not take it well."

Eyes bulging, Danny choked out some of the liquid that had made it to his lips. "You're just telling me this _now_ , Dad?" he almost cried out.

"Yeah! Try going ghost, Danny-boy!" boomed the excited father. Jack, bless his soul, continuously failed to recognize the conflict warring across Danny's face. The deadpan expression Danny sported as the transformation rings washed over his body said it all.

The ghost boy drank the liquid in one gulp, under the delighted eyes of his dad….

…then promptly fell to his knees and _puked._

_._

" _Danny_!?"

Jack almost overturned the table in his haste to reach his son. Danny's aura was flaring brightly for a moment before dimming rapidly. The panicking man held the boy's shoulders as he continued to dry-heave after vomiting some glowing barf on the floor.

"—what do I do? What do I do!"

"Dad!" gasped Danny as soon as he could speak. "The….ecto…–dejecto! I need it!"

"What! Son, it weakens ghosts!"

"No! Just….trust…me." Seeing Danny's pained look, Jack quickly stood up and ran to one of the cabinets, where he kept a supply of his failed inventions. The serum was kept in a bottle, so he poured some into a syringe. He'd never managed to finish fixing it after it inexplicably increased that ghost's size. As he hovered above Danny's form, he became unsure if it would cause more damage instead.

Danny made the decision for him by taking the needle and injected it to his wrist's vein in one fast move. Then he sat and sighed in relief.

"Dad," he mumbled to the flabbergasted man. "I think…you finally found out how to fix the ecto-dejecto after all." He smiled a bit to show he was alright. "But next time, please don't ask me to be the test subject."

Jack scooped up his son in a hug, feeling very, very glad.

.

Due to the lingering effects of the ecto-resin, Danny was still feeling out of fritz; he was kind of nauseous, his stomach was rather queasy, and there was the overall weakness he felt. Luckily, it seemed to go away bit by bit as he helped Dad cleaning up the lab floor after the mess he'd made (ice powers were especially useful to freeze up matters they wouldn't touch before disposing them). Of course, some trips to the 'little ghost hunter's room' were unavoidable.

So, it was inevitable he would react the way he did in the event that happened next.

.

There was someone running down to the basement, hurried and frantic. Jazz reached the bottom step with eyes that were remarkably bright and keen in the morning. With bated breath, she almost threw the house phone at her brother.

"There you are, Danny! I was looking for you! Gosh, you have to take this call!"

Since none of the family members were out of the house, Jack scratched his head, confused. "What? How could somebody call into the Fenton Family Anti-Creep Phone number?"

Jazz began, "Dad! It's—"

"Hello?" cut off Danny, who had taken the phone. Jazz closed her mouth with a snap.

" _Mr. Phantom? This is the President of the United States speaking."_

Danny paused and frowned. One of the reporters — who'd religiously terrorized their landline for the past weeks — must have finally gotten really creative. "Right, and I'm the Statue of Liberty in person. Seriously, who is this? How'd you get this number?"

There was some buzzing from the other side before the voice gave a rich chuckle. _"Young lad, while many citizens are eager to build statues in your name, I'm afraid it is currently prohibited by law to replace our national monument."_ There were more chuckles as if the person was particularly satisfied about his joke. _"I assure you, I am speaking honestly about my identity, and your family has registered this number when they asked for permit."_

Jazz was already waving her hands frantically, and dropped them down with a bang on the table when Danny looked at her, his eyebrows raised high in disbelief. When his look turned sardonic, she knew what conclusion he'd reached.

"Um…okay," Danny mumbled, feeling one of his unavoidable little ghost hunter's breaks about to come, so he had to cut his conversation with the 'president' short. "Nice try, Mr. Reporter, but you'd come off more believable if you pretended to be Santa Claus, and I need to go," he said, the nausea was getting unbearable. "So long!"

" _Pardon? Let me restate my statement, I am not a reporter and this is not a jo—"_

"Gee. Jazz, this is clearly someone pretending to be the president. Talk about crazy meets desperate!" Danny scowled as he thrust the phone to the open-mouthed Jazz. Danny grabbed his stomach and started to hightail it out of there, almost utilizing flight in his hurry. "Ugh, I _have_ to go!"

.

Jazz proceeded to drop down on a chair and hid her face with her palms, moaning softly about how her little brother could be such a pea-brain at the worst of times.

"Jazzy-pants, that was the real President of the United States, am I right?" Jack slowly said in realization, having a rare moment of astuteness.

They were interrupted by Maddie. Her short red-hair was wet after her shower, and she put both of her hands on her hips, violet eyes narrowing in displeasure when she caught the gaze of the orange-jumpsuited man. "Jack, mind telling me why Danny is barfing in the bathroom?"

.

.

**White House Situation Room, Washington D.C., 07.10 a.m.**

"He seems to be very confused….?" the baffled President uttered his words. Never, during his term so far, had he been on the receiving end of such a bizarre call in both personal and diplomatic matters. He, along with his advisors and government representatives, stared at the blank computer terminal's screen — since there was no video feed of the call, it was just transmitting the recipient's voice, belonging to one Daniel Fenton in this case. There was a long mahogany meeting table, where the attendants all experiencing various degrees of puzzlement — and for some, _anger_. The White House Communications agents shifted nervously, wondering whether they had acquired clearance for the wrong private landline. The Fentons were not the only one registering their number as 'classified' on the records.

Prominent figures and influential policy makers were present, including re-elected Mayor Montez of Amity Park, cabinet ministers, Senate and House representatives, senior diplomats, and delegates from various government departments. It was the second official conference they had post-asteroid crisis, yet the meeting had turned into an emergency discussion following the 'episodes' broadcast. Intelligence reports had been disappointingly inconclusive regarding the broadcast origin, even after investigating APN channel's network.

Everyone was in agreement that the Amity Park government was responsible for the central government's failure to respond well to ghost-related crisis; they were kept out of loop since the beginning, and Amity Park was content with letting the rest of the world believed ghosts as rumors. Still, it was a legal move in accordance to the home rule provisions, but the poor Mayor now had to defend one particular citizen's actions….

….since he seemed to put Montez into this sort of predicament in favor of bathroom breaks.

"I…apologize," Montez smiled in a beleaguered manner. "He…can be a little … difficult."

One black-suited blond woman curled her lip in distaste. "Well, we're dealing with a teenage, _hormonal_ boy after all. Have I mentioned impulsive and lacking in the brain department?"

"Said teenage hormonal boy saved the whole world," a graying man held his port belly as he chuckled. "What a strange world we're living in!"

"The world needs to get its head out of the clouds and look at this situation objectively."

"Senator Jenkins," Montez sternly rebutted the blond woman, "Danny Phantom has been doing a tremendous job protecting our city, and will continue to do so."

One of the ministers whispered to his neighbor, "Something tells me he only says that because Phantom was his bid to the mayor seat—"

"I heard that, Mr. Brackett," Montez sternly addressed, glaring at the surprised man. "Mr. President, the floor is yours."

President Hartman sighed before standing up and cupped his hands together. "We do owe Phantom a great deal for his service. I, along with my administration, propose to declare him a national hero, if this assembly agrees."

Immediately, the room erupted into sounds of protest and agreement, with both sides trying to outdo each other using arguments.

"—'bout time! The battle footage clearly reveals he's been doing it for _years_."

"Look, we don't want to be an international embarrassment."

"What embarrassment? We've got something over the Russians _and_ the Chinese!" one senior diplomat bellowed.

"—seen from last night APN broadcast, the boy let fame get to his head over his duties. It's obvious he's not trained. Then he endangered that gorilla—a state property I might add—by continuously directing one of his enemies there. You listen to me; some of the unexplained occurrences finally have an answer: the boy is the problem."

"Jenkins, you're way over your head, I'm warning you. The boy's also the first person to respond to Amity's ghostly threats, long before anyone knows they exist."

"—but Phantom's not the most qualified dealing with them today. You know our S.W.A.T. team, a battalion of trained police officers–or simply send the national army to Illinois to protect the citizens."

"….national army?" Montez finally barked. "Goodness! This is _exactly_ _why_ Amity Park did not share our information to you, people."

The President raised his hand, asking for order. The chamber gradually quieted down. "Remember that it is the public that we serve," he began, "and currently, the public demands for it."

Someone cleared his throat. Everyone turned to an African American congressman wearing a somber expression that looked quite out of place. "President Hartman, please consider this. You're going to put a child in an even bigger spotlight – and more responsibilities on his young shoulders. That's a life I wouldn't wish for anyone," he spoke up earnestly. "No matter how remarkable the child is. Shouldn't it be our duty to protect him?"

The President, and everyone else, only silently stared at the congressman. If one thinks about it, he's right—and the epiphany bothered all of the adults in the room.

.

Suddenly, one of the monitors was buzzing as it came to life, displaying visuals from what could be seen as a war-torn dusty area. A man's grizzly face appeared on another screen, the upper area of his chest being decorated by various medals, signifying his elite status in the military.

"Mr. President, sir!" he saluted, before continuing, "We have received a new intel from their HQ…."

.

.

**The Manson Mansion, 07.39 a.m.**

"Rise and shine, young lady!" Pamela Manson said airily as she opened the curtains quickly. The morning sun quickly illuminated the dark room. In reflex, the occupant on the bed flipped the heavy blanket over her head, obscuring herself from view. It was a survival mechanism for her species.

Unfortunately for her, Pamela was a natural enemy to all creatures of the night. With surprising force, the mother pulled the blanket away. Sam growled low in her throat when the evil sun beams hit her face.

"I have just the right outfit for you today, Samantha. Wear it, and everyone will be simply _thrilled_ seeing you!"

Sam's eyes immediately opened wide, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. She quickly sat up and yes, her mother was holding a horrific, glittery pink gown with a weird smile.

"No way in hell I'm wearing that!" she grouched, "and you can't force me!"

Her mother's smile did not dissipate one bit. It was starting to give the goth creeps— _her_ , the one who should give people creeps. "Sammykins darling, how have you forgotten our deal, hmm? Is it because you're spending too much time with the frea—"

"— _don't you dare_ call Danny that! _"_ Sam hissed.

Pamela paused before stating, "When you fulfill your end of the deal, I will no longer call _him_ so."

"But I did wear your clothes yesterday, mother!"

"Yet you didn't attend the dinner your father and I have set up so meticulously for you." In the blink of an eye, Pamela's expression changed to reflect her thunderous mood. "What _in the world_ were you thinking, Samantha! Your father almost lost a valuable partnership with the Bastien International, if not for my quick intervention. _You should be ashamed of yourself._ "

Sam faked a long yawn during her mother's furious tirade, further inciting the ire of the woman.

"You are wearing this gown and that's final!"

Sam knew she was screwed. There was no way she would show up at school wearing that monstrosity. She considered bailing out, since she also got a lunch detention with the worst bunch of the A-listers, including Paulina. _Ugh._ Nevertheless, she considered Danny — there was no way she would leave his side dealing with school and what else. Her mother had left her room for breakfast, and she had dangled the disgusting gown tantalizingly by the pole top window curtains.

 _My window_ , she belatedly realized. _I can use the window to escape to school._

Sam grinned. After washing herself up and putting on her usual style — that she did in less than half an hour — she took out her climbing robe out of her spider backpack, and moved to the window, only to find it was locked.

"Shit," the irate goth muttered while fumbling with the latch, and finally bashing it continuously with her knuckles when nothing worked. "Figures."

_Now what?_

"Samantha, are you coming down for breakfast?" Jeremy was standing by the doorway, fixing his tie and staring curiously at his daughter. Sam promptly moved away from the window, but her father saw through her act when he suddenly scowled. "That's to prevent another robe climbing like you did last night, honey." Seeing Sam's shocked look, he added, "The house has an integrated surveillance system. Didn't you think we should know your coming and going?" The man sighed. "I would have introduced you to Señor Bastien, Samantha."

"…and _that's_ exactly why, Dad," Sam muttered while she stormed past her father. Her parents never changed, she shouldn't have expected differently. Not even after they watched who she really was, and how unique this life had made her be. She would always end up disappointed.

.

But she wasn't devoid of any plan, and she still had no intention of following her mother's order. Sam looked around as she walked through her mansion's long hallway. The sounds and smells of the kitchen became more and more invasive as she was nearing the dining hall. However, she took a turn left, avoiding housekeepers milling about, and went up the stairs instead of down. Sam arrived at the empty attic and took out her phone.

" _Sam? What's up?_ " There was a sound suspiciously resembling a toilet flush.

"Danny, you gotta help me," she hissed. "Crap, I _hate_ sounding like a damsel in distress."

Danny chuckled. _"Sam, you can never be a damsel in distress, not according to Aragon. What's the problem? Are you alright? I'm flying to your house. Now."_

"Charming, Danny." She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'm fine. Just, you know… the usual parents trouble. I'm at the attic right now. Can't escape from my room's window."

" _Be right there in seconds."_

.

True to his words, Danny, in Phantom form, phased in after ten seconds exactly— not that she was counting _—_ and he was a bit breathless. "What am I? Your personal taxi cab?" he scowled playfully.

"That was unusually fast, even for you," Sam said, smiling brightly.

"Two words. Ecto-dejecto—"

"Considering it's hyphenated, that should be one word."

"Fine," he rolled his eyes. "One word. The ecto-dejecto—"

"Now you've made it two words."

"Sam," Danny whined, while Sam burst into laughter. "Whatever. Had to take a shot today since Dad apparently _still managed_ to invent something that can hurt me."

"Ouch," she winced in sympathy. "At least he's not out to get you anymore."

"Yeah," Danny murmured, staring at Sam's face. Sam looked at him oddly for a moment before she saw the lust in those smoldering green eyes. She felt blood rushing to her cheeks, and the small attic becoming several degrees hotter. "Um…is it just me, is this room getting stuffy, huh?" Sam said nervously, and stupidly….

…because Danny blinked and seemed to rein in his emotions, before looking at anywhere but Sam due to embarrassment. An awkward moment occurred between the pair, as neither knew what to say or do. Sam was inwardly busy beating herself up.

"Come on," Danny finally muttered. "I'll take you to school."

Smiling softly, she said, "Take me up, ghost boy."

.

It was a déjà vu for Sam, flying together over the city with Danny. Only this time, they were _truly_ together. Flight has a way of putting things into perspective. Although there were a lot of bumps they still needed to sort out in the relationship, Sam's heart was as light as her current body as Danny's powers coursed through it. Danny also didn't need to deny his attraction to the goth girl; so every little smile, every little glances they sent to each other….they enjoyed shamelessly.

It was a wonderful kind of silence. Amity Park was always beautiful from above. They soared above the unaware masses, through jutting skyscrapers and flat green landscape. Their peaceful moods couldn't even be disturbed when they passed a new billboard — the words advertised were: " _Amity Park News, official channel for the Danny Phantom show. Stay tuned for our viewing schedule_!" Nearing Casper High, Danny gradually lowered their altitude.

That's when they spotted the first sign of trouble.

.

A small crowd was marching determinedly along one of the big streets. Most of them were walking, but a few were riding bicycles. Those who did so were camera-holders, recording the whole thing. The people at the front held a banner — written in big bold letters: **Pro-Human Society**. Sam and Danny would have mistaken them for your usual social advocacy group if not for the picture Danny Phantom's head plastered on the right side of the banner, under a crossed-out sign. On the left side, Vlad Plasmius's head was also depicted in the same manner.

A woman in her late-twenties was apparently the leader of the crowd. She did the crowd control with her bullhorn megaphone.

"Halfas are unnatural beings that should be exterminated! Plasmius has revealed his true colors! Are we gonna wait 'till Phantom did the same!? Who else's with me!? Say, 'Down with the halfas!'"

The crowd immediately followed her lead, chanting "Down with the halfas!" in unison.

.

Danny had reflexively turned them both invisible.

"What the hell!?" Sam glowered. An unbelievable amount of anger was rising up in her. "They should all go to hell! Fucking ungrateful people!" She would have shouted and screamed at them right at that instance. Team Phantom had dealt with rejection and hate against Danny before, especially during the 'Public Enemy No. 1' debacle. But to go through the same thing _after the revelation_ and on the basis of being simply what he was — which Danny had no control whatsoever — it was different…

"Danny?"

He was too quiet. Sam couldn't see his face due to the invisibility, but if she could, she would see him staring intently at something among the crowd. Suddenly, Sam found herself soaring down until they were only several feet above the crowd's tallest person's head. Unnecessarily, Sam held her breath to aid their camouflage. Then she saw _it_ …. Just a short distance away, and right in front of her eyesight.

It was a placard someone from the crowd raised, with a photo of a smiling middle-aged man.

" _Remember Marcus O'Neal: Phantom's first victim."_

_._

….and she was pulled again to a higher altitude. Danny increased their speed to Casper High, not saying anything. Along the way, they passed over a curious sight at a park near the school. It was Dash, his letterman jacket and blond hair made him obvious from the distance; and he was running away from a group of children, with a few adults joining in the fun. It seemed to be a really bad morning for Dash, because the children's giggles could be heard even up in the air, as they threw handful after handful of mud at Dash.

Sam didn't care. He was not one of their bigger concerns.

After a very short while, the couple landed in one of the school's secluded places. Danny brought them back into the visible plane. The cold sensation of the invisibility blanket slithered away, and with it, Sam's numb disbelief also went.

"Sick! They're sick people!" she ranted. "Are they brain-dead or what?"

"It's fine, Sam," Danny assured quietly. "Let them say what they want to say. I kinda expected that, really."

"Just wait until I get to them, I'll show them what social justice truly is," Sam swore. She gazed at Danny who looked relatively nonplussed. "Are you really okay, Danny?"

He shrugged. "I'm always okay."

"Uh-huh."

"Actually," he paused, looking conflicted, "I think Dash's the one who's not okay. You don't mind if I go back and you go find Tucker, do ya'?"

.

.

**Guys-in-White Lab Facility, Amity Park, 08.00 a.m.**

"Good morning," greeted the mysterious man known as 'Head' to the motionless figure before him. The figure was obviously recovering from a horrible ordeal. His usual meticulous white hair was messy and untied. His emaciated body was only covered by a thin shirt, more commonly worn by long-term hospital patients. There was an air of hopelessness about him, but apparently, a part of the stubborn and prideful man still remained — for he clenched his jaw shut and refused to acknowledge the greeting.

Head did not appreciate being ignored.

"Shock him."

The 'prisoner' started screaming hoarsely. Angry red sparks came alive from the innocent-looking bracelets adorning his wrists. The screaming continued for a while until it stopped, the prisoner being reduced to whimpers and dry sobs.

"How the mighty have fallen," Head sneered. "Vlad Masters, or do you prefer Plasmius? Enemy of the Earth, traitor, liar, manipulator, _halfa_ …" The gentlemanly man leaned closer to Vlad's body, tutting, "Which sin is most abominable, I wonder..."

"Please….," Vlad rasped. "I just need to find my Maddie."

Head recoiled in disgust. "He's still fucking obsessed with the woman! _Shock him_."

Again, Vlad screamed in pain. This time it was relentless, and seemed to never ending. Head took sick pleasure in watching the once powerful half-ghost writhing and convulsing. But he quickly lost interest once the entertainment was over, since they didn't want to kill Vlad just _yet_.

"No!" Vlad unexpectedly grabbed Head's ankles when he moved to exit the ghost-proof containment. "She's my cat! Please…She's been uncared for!"

The man only gave him a twisted grin and ordered the bracelet shocks _again_. "Don't you just love it when _dramatic tortures_ are very fulfilling?" he announced airily. "Oh, scream! Scream for your life!"

Skulker had just come around to stand guard in front of the cell's door. The metallic ghost only gave one impassive glance to his former employer. Head turned off the shocks and went to the ghost, giving him a proud pat on the chest. Skulker remained as expressionless as a robot.

"Good ghost," Head smirked to himself. "Once I have my Crystal Ball Staff again, you will all be _mine_!"

.

"But for now, a true showman must always play his part perfectly."

.

.

**To be continued in "Theatrics and Jealousy" a.k.a. What You Want.**


	14. Theatrics and Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. The plot and dialogues of "What You Want" belong to the writers of the show.
> 
> Here's a fun little tidbit: what happens in the plot ALWAYS has a connection to the corresponding episode.

**Chapter 14: Theatrics and Jealousy**

**.**

**.**

"Paulina _querida_ , are you going to eat that chicken soon?"

The girl stopped her continuous stabbing at the poor innocent skinless baked chicken breast (beauty needs maintenance!) on her plate, looking up to give a surly stare at her parents. Her mother was staring at her with concern, while her father only grunted and flipped a page of the newspaper he was reading. The sound of the radio was blaring gently in the background, basking the small family with some familiar Latin love songs that her mother was very fond of. This morning, however, Paulina felt like smashing something to bits if she heard another melodious utterance of 'El Amor' — thus the chronicles why she had victimized the chicken breast.

"You don't know half of the problems I have," she muttered, shoulders slumping in depression.

Isabella Sanchez gasped dramatically, hands on her chest. That attracted the attention of her husband, who suddenly became tense and growled, " _Is it a boy_?"

The daughter only sighed, mind already miles away from the breakfast table, wondering what a certain white-haired half-ghost hero was doing this morning. Ah, of course he would be eating breakfast too, just like her — and he would be eating meat too, unlike a certain goth bitch whose name was unmentionable in Paulina's mind.

All of a sudden, the newspaper was slammed down on top of the table as Paulina's love-sick expression made it clear to the papa bear that it _was_ a boy. "I will beat the _bastardo_ into a pulp!"

"No, papa!" Paulina exclaimed, coming out of her stupor. "It's….He's not just _a boy_. He's _Danny_ —you know, the Ghost Boy?" Her expression turned dreamy once more as she was off to her personal dream world, not realizing the worried glances her parents sent to each other.

"Paulina," her father began, a world-weary expression set on his face. "We were just talking about thi—"

" _Do not_ tell me what to do, papa! I have _enough_ of my own _padres_ trying to stop my destiny!"

The older Latina woman cried out in distress but she was held by her husband who stomped his foot as he stood up and shouted, "This is the third time I heard about this _destiny_ nonsense!

"You don't understand!" cried out the girl. Tears were running down her eyes, ruining her heavy mascara. "I hate you! I hate you so much!" Paulina grabbed her school bag and quickly strode out of the house. Just before she went out to the front porch, she turned toward the glowering father and the heartbroken mother.

"First, you didn't want to buy me that pretty baby pink stretch-knit top, so now the ghost boy chose that fucking _putta_ over me! My life is so ruined because of you!"

The door slammed shut.

.

Isabella couldn't stop her husband from striking the flower vase out of their table top. It went flying and crashed into the floor, breaking into a mess of sharp pieces. The man was panting heavily, and she had stopped trying to stroke his shoulders for fear of being an object of his misplaced aggression herself. But thank _Dios_ — it seemed that her husband started to calm down somewhat.

"I will _end_ that boy for hurting my Paulina," growled Daniel Sanchez roughly, eyes fixed on the newspaper he'd just thrown down. Isabella, whose hands were already busy picking up the glass pieces, followed his gaze to the front page headline of the paper, and winced.

It was just for a passing moment, because quickly, lest her husband noticed, the woman averted her eyes and continued cleaning up the shards.

.

"…..and 'en he goes like BAM! And he says, 'Gonna punch you 'cuz you're so lame!'" a young seven-year-old boy grinned in satisfaction at his 'witty banter' impression. He was sitting on the carpeted floor, hands busy playing with two small figurines while swinging and smashing them together in a mock aerial battle. "So evil Plasm'us is like, very very mad and he shoots a very big ray outtta his hands! Like _pew, pew, pew!_ "

The white-suited action figure, complete with its small cape, was being jerked by the hand holding it, in an attempt to mimic how to blast the imaginary ecto-rays.

"But Phantom flies af'er him and kicks his butt! That's rite, everybody! Then he puts him in his soup can 'cuz nobody beats Danny Phantom!" the boy exclaimed gleefully as he unceremoniously threw down the caped figurine. Then he made the other black-and-silver-suited toy perform a dance on top of it.

A hand suddenly seized the plastic toy and crushed it until one of its small legs broke with a crack. "The hell? I thought I dumped this piece of shit last night."

"Dale!" the boy shrieked. "NO! Give him to me!" He started to cry when the older boy only looked at him mockingly. "Why are you so mean!"

"Shut up, you little pipsqueak! Nobody told you to cry!"

"Dale Zacharias Snyder!" A woman hurriedly came between the boys, glaring angrily at her eldest. "You…how many times I've told you not to be mean to your brother, Dale!?" She started to lift up the crying boy into her arms. " _I am very ashamed of you_! You and–and… this recent streak of rebellion! Now give me Brian's toy, or you'll be grounded for the rest of the month, young man!"

Dale's mouth was set in angry curl, but he reluctantly let the angry mother take the Phantom action figure out of his grasp. His mother gave him a stern look before ignoring him altogether, cooing comfortingly over Brian instead.

Stiffly, Dale hissed angrily at the younger boy, "Boo-hoo. You're a fucking lose—"

"Momma!"

"Dale! Get out of the house! Now!" the woman ordered. Her eyes were bulging in her anger as she warped her arms protectively over the youngest.

Under the furious stare of his mother, Dale quickly went for the front door. He yanked the door open in resentment and gave one last glance at his only parent and little brother. Sure enough, the woman was back ignoring him to attend to Brian's needs.

"….repair the leg this afternoon, alright baby? Don't cry anymore….my sweet precious boy…"

.

Dale scoffed. He didn't need his stupid mother and loser brother anyway.

.

Dash was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. First, he had yet another tense breakfast with his parents. Apparently, since his face was featured _very_ prominently on TV last night — the reminder of the 'Da Bash Bash' mess also didn't help — his family was putting him on some sort of probation. They wanted to see a change of behavior from him, and no matter how awful he'd been feeling lately, Dash found himself walking on eggshells around his own parents. He also couldn't bring himself to ask his car privilege back.

Therefore, he'd asked Steve and other jocks to give him a ride. He would have asked Kwan if not for the fact that Kwan's family was severely disapproving of him (yes, Kwan's secret was that the close-knit Lee family insisted driving their children to school), and asking either Paulina or Star would just be lame. When they flat out ignored him, Dash was faced with the cold hard truth that he was no longer welcome in his usual posse. As the consequence, Dash Baxter, most likely ex-King of Casper High now, had to take the cheapest and most eco-friendly way to go to school that would make Manson proud: walking.

But he hadn't counted on being infamously known throughout Amity Park — and being cursed, mocked, and chased by angered citizens all around. He'd never been anymore grateful for his football-trained stamina. Still, no matter how hard he was running for the safety of the school, their hateful words still registered on his mind.

"Bully!"

"Go to jail, boy!"

" _It's him!_ The good-for-nothing redneck!"

"Leave Danny Phantom alone, jerkass!"

"Fucking Neanderthal!"

"Hey look, it's Dash Baxter. Not so big anymore, aren't you?"

"Have some piss, Baxter!"

" _Shut up! Shut up! Shut the hell up!"_

Helpless, confused, scared, and drowning in his own guilt, Dash could only run away. There was no thought of defending himself any further because deep down, he knew they were right. While the adult citizens had their own businesses to take care of, Dash unfortunately could not avoid a group of children he'd run into nearing a public park. They, alongside with their parents and several adults, _relentlessly_ chased him while throwing out insults ("Meanie! Meanie! Meanie! Meanie!") and mud. Literally, handful after handful of mud.

He was cornered.

.

People started to congregate, watching the curious affair taking place. Dash was constantly running in circles while trying to avoid the children's clumsy mud-throwing. He tried to cower behind any playground apparatus he could find in the park, shouting for them to stop. Nobody listened, including the bystanders watching their morning entertainment. Casper High's number one bully deserved it after all, for the images of him tormenting their hero were firmly in their minds. As a result, the mob started to throw in insults after the boy, as well as cheering for the children. Encouraged, the children continued the torment of Dash Baxter, while the boy himself tried desperately to escape — too bad for Dash, the crowd had already formed a barrier in the way they surrounded the area.

"What's going on here?"

People turned to look at the cops arriving, headed by none other than Capt. Gallagher, who cut an imposing figure as she stared at the scene. Recognizing the boy in trouble as the one on last night's show, she immediately could guess what the problem was and gave a warning glare at the snickering officers behind her.

"Hey—you! Stop what you're doing—Parents! Control your children this instance!"

Gallagher cut through the crowd quickly and approached the mud-covered jock. Dash was curled up behind the meager safety of a trash can. He was panting heavily and his face was very red. He looked up fearfully seeing a cop _of all people_ approaching him.

"Your name's Dash Baxter?"

"I—I didn't do anything! I _swear_! I—" Dash pulled out his hair in a distressed gesture. "I WAS SORRY!" he shouted yet again, more to the jeering kids and crowd than to the woman.

"Mr. Baxter, please calm yourself down," Gallagher told the panicking boy patiently, running a hand down her haggard face.

" _Kill yourself, Baxter!"_

"I said, everybody stand down!" she barked to the crowd. "Mr. Baxter, stand up and I will escort you out of this crowd."

Dash, filled with renewed hope, quickly nodded and followed the police officer, the mud dripping from his letterman jacket. It was like a walk of shame for him, with people ogling and continuing to whisper unkind words around him. From the corner of his eyes, he could see some of Casper students sniggering among the bystanders. His anger spiked as the overwhelming shame melted away into the former bully's usual coping mechanism — he needed to hit someone in the face. Fast.

So when he passed the smirking Steve ( _Bastard won't even give me a ride–bet he planned this_ ), he lifted up his middle finger to the crowd….and punched Steve in the face. Needless to say, the people erupted into a riot.

"What in the bleedin' fu—kid! I'm trying to help you here!" the captain growled, trying to push the boy out of the mess as many people were surging in, pushing and pulling to get a hit on the Baxter boy. Dash realized his foolishness as he clutched onto the woman's arm, people booing and cussing him around; and they went on and on until he suddenly heard a voice cutting into the noise. A familiar, slightly echoing voice.

"You know, this isn't the scene I was expecting to see."

Phantom hovered above them, tail flicking in annoyance and one hand raised in a tentative greeting, seeing that he immediately grabbed everyone's attention. In the following precious seconds as everyone else was struck dumb in fascination, Dash idly glimpsed several things happening in quick succession: one, how a Fenton-like open-mouthed expression came over the half-ghost at the attention given to him, before the face was schooled into Phantom's characteristic unflappability; two, a brief exchange of glances occurring between the ghost boy and the officer in front of him as they both seemed to come to an agreement; three, how he was suddenly pulled roughly by said officer with surprising strength, utilizing the crowd's distraction to get away.

….then the crowd became even wilder.

Dash followed Gallagher's brisk pace into a small alley as snippets — among all the screaming — of the chaos happening in the park reached his ears.

" _Ohgodohgodohgodohgod!"_

"Uh…lady? You can stop saying that now 'cause it sounds like—"

"Hey Phantom! _Phantom_! One autograph for my daughter, please!"

"I love you! Marry me!"

"Danny buddy! Hey, let's hang out together! I heard the Arcade—"

"Whoa whoa whoa—hold up, dude! Don't grab my foot!"

"—actually, any grabbing is not allowed. Hey—OH MY GOSH! Whose u–underwear is this? What's wrong with you people!"

"'Ey, Danny! We beat that Baxter boy hard and good, didn't we?"

"Uh…listen, do you think what you guys did to Dash is kinda too much?"

"He bullied _you_."

"Yeah, but there's no need to bully him back, isn't there? I mean, it's not that I don't appreciate your …uh…defense of me, guys. But I'm over it, and he's over it, so—"

"Phantom, you caught my undies! I love it! I love you! Does that mean we're gonna get married?"

"Oh fu—"

" _Mr. Phantom!_ Mind the children!"

"—fudge! Y–yeah! Hey, listen! Look over there!"

.

Back in the small alleyway, Gallagher eyed the boy before her, penetrating him with her sharp glare. Dash discreetly gulped as the small radio on her belt crackled to life, informing both of them that Phantom had gotten the crowd out of the park by having them chasing him.

"You are very lucky I'm not going to take your behavior as a misdemeanor offense, Mr. Baxter," she began. "That is unless the person you hit wants to press charges against you."

Dash shook his head nervously. "No, he's not gonna. You see, he's my classmate, Ma'am," explained Dash. "And he deserves it," he quietly mumbled under his breath.

Gallagher narrowed her eyes. "What was that, Baxter? Sounds familiar to my ears. Is that why you bully Mr. Fenton? He's your classmate and he deserves it?"

The former bully gaped, frantically shaking his head again while he almost wetted his pants as the officer's glare became very severe. "N –no! I mean Fenton–Fenton is…"

"…about to go insane dealing with people who desperately need a life," interrupted Danny, who shimmered into view revealing his figure leaning against the brick wall. "…or maybe a cat for each. Hello officer."

Gallagher and Danny stared at each other, both looking a bit haggard for different reasons. Gallagher smirked dryly. "Mr. Fenton. Dramatic entrance much?"

Danny shrugged, idly lifting himself to float several inches above the ground. "Yeah, well, at least there isn't a sixty-foot monster this time, right?"

"Touché," the captain retorted. "Seems to me you're more afraid of your fangirl's underwear than that monstrosity of a ghost."

Danny gave a dramatic shudder. " _Oh my gosh_. You're not gonna shoot me if I don't laugh, aren't you, Captain?"

"Sixty-foot monster?" Dash couldn't help blurting out. "What!?"

"Oh, hi Dash!" Danny said pleasantly, smirking as Gallagher snorted in an unladylike fashion. "Oh man… you sure know how to pick out the worst crowd."

Dash looked down, face reddening _again_ — and if he wasn't careful, it could become a permanent fixture on his face. He opened his mouth to answer, but could only muttered a "yeah" in the end. He knew Fenton was staring at him concernedly, while Gallagher held him in her line of sight with her hawk-like gaze. He kept to himself while they discussed for a bit, sounding increasingly serious that he started to lose track. It was fascinating seeing this different side of Fenton, one he would never show at school, yet one that wasn't shown in a flurry of witty banters and fights either. To Dash's knowledge, this one had only appeared once when Phantom announced his plan to turn the Earth intangible to the public — fitting, as the senior officer and the town hero were literally discussing something about the town's safety right in front of him.

"… crime rate in this city has gone upward since everyone found out you're human, Mr. Fenton," Gallagher stated, looking uncertain as she revealed the worries plaguing her.

Rubbing his recently-healed palm, Danny only frowned. "But why? What's the deal with me being half-human, to the…crime rate? I've never even gone into crime-fighting—don't get me wrong," he added hurriedly. "Ghost-fighting already keeps me busy most of the time."

"Ever noticed how Amity's crime figures dropped after the first ghost outbreak?" At Danny's blank look, she sighed. "People became afraid of what they don't understand, and criminals are people. Then, there's you. For a while, you were the biggest bad guy we had in the city."

They shared a wry smile remembering the Public Enemy debacle. Danny exhaled softly. "I don't see—"

"You know everyone's still wary despite Phantom being 'good', don't you? You were a wild card, an unknown, a ghost who was seemingly more powerful than the rest…"

"This probably comes out as a bit, you know, snooty, but 'were'?" Phantom said in jest, complete with a cocky grin.

"In their eyes _today_ , you're no longer an all-powerful ghost who knows everything's going on in this city, so they become brave. Your humanity is a liability."

Danny was silent for a moment, before grinning shakily. "Wow, what a way to blow a guy's ego."

"The criminologist's words, not mine." Then, Gallagher's stance softened. "I'm sorry, it's been a long couple of days, and you're one of the people I trust, considering our past cooperation. I just want to look out for you. Be careful of people with far-from-moral intention coming your way. "

"Don't I know about it," he quietly muttered, clenching his jaw as a certain man flashed in his mind, the man who kidnapped Paulina and basically blackmailed him for his own goal, the intentional creation of halfas.

"In the meantime, let's stick to the way it is. You handle the ghosts, I handle everything else. So far, I hope there isn't any matter that requires my help, Mr. Fenton."

"….no." Danny smiled and glanced at his unusually quiet classmate. He needed to do something about the mud dripping off Dash. "Everything's fine."

.

.

"So...uh...you're heading to Casper too, Fenton?" Dash began awkwardly, finding his tongue after the strict woman had left, leaving the two boys staring at each other awkwardly.

Danny's instinct was screaming at him, expecting Dash to grab him by the collar anytime and dragged him into a trash can or something more gross. But since things were different, he squeezed it down and cleared his throat. "Um..yeah, you coming?"

"What? Like...fly?" Dash almost leaped out of his skin when a white-gloved hand touched his shoulder hesitantly and his skin turned translucent. After staring dumbfounded as the mud clinging to his jacket and skin splashed onto the ground, Dash met Fenton's sheepish gaze and grinned. "Heck yeah!"

"Uh, no. It'd be too weird, I think." Dash stopped short. "Let's just go like normal. No offense, Dash, but flying, well, that's kinda difficult to explain. Besides, I'm running late."

Seeing Fenton's grin as the ghost boy floated a bit higher, Dash quickly exclaimed, "Wait! You're just gonna leave me here? Fenton!"

"Sorry Dash, go grab some taxi or just run. Whatever," Danny said over his shoulders, grinning wider when he heard Dash's grumbling from below. What? He was allowed a _little_ payback after all his troubles with Dash, right? Besides, ticking off Dash used to be his favorite past time, even though admittedly he wasn't always successful. And nope, nu'uh, Danny had no intention giving Dash a free Phantom Air flight, especially with Dash's recent worrying behavior. That would be _more awkward_.

Therefore, Danny gave Dash an innocent smile when the jock came into class, whose eyes immediately searched for him, and _glared_. The smile turned apprehensive when Danny realized Dash looked truly angry, and it died completely when Dash muttered, " _Fenturd,"_ as he passed Danny's seat, and then took the seat right behind him. Danny stiffened.

"That's a good one," Dash unexpectedly said.

Startled, Danny turned and stared at the smirking jock. "You're not mad? Mad, as in, gonna shove me into my locker at lunch?"

Dash suddenly looked horrified. "Of course not! What, are you crazy, Fenton? Look, thanks for the save back there."

Danny winced, not wanting Dash to revert into his fanboy-ish behavior again, but thankfully Dash didn't seem to. "Yeah, no problem. Besides, we're even with that petty revenge I pulled on you."

"Not sure about even, but that means you're alright with—"

"Mr. Fenton! Mr. Baxter! Please refrain from discussing personal matters when class is starting," Lancer barked, peering oddly at the sight of the two boys having a civil conversation. Danny and Dash comically jumped on their seats, faces becoming red at being the object of everyone's curious stares. Tucker and Sam glared at Dash, while Kwan and Star raised their eyebrows at Danny. Anyway, that was how Danny and Dash started a new beginning after everything, as painfully awkward as two teenage boys could be.

.

The first period English class went smoothly after that. Yet, Danny couldn't help noticing how Lancer's eyes would occasionally linger on him. When they did, a sad look would come over the teacher's face. Danny might be called clueless, but he was pretty good deducing that he was not going to look forward to it when Lancer called him after class, requesting a meeting at lunch.

Tucker considered himself the most average among his closest friends. Danny, well...is _Danny,_ and he also had ghost hunters as parents. Similar to him was Sam, who consciously strove to be different, and had to deal with her two very rich parents who opposed her every step of the way. So, as far as he was concerned, it would be more likely for either Danny and Sam to be the one having a weird morning — _well,_ maybe they did, but Tucker's morning had left him reeling with questions. He couldn't figure out why he suddenly woke up in the middle of a street. No injury, no attacker...just him lying on a street.

"The last thing I remembered is me walking to school and doing my usual business. Y'know, you can ask Cindy 'cause she always knows my usual schedule."

Danny and Sam simultaneously rolled their eyes. They were eating outside during their first break, forgoing snacks in favor of real meal since Sam was off to her detention in the afternoon, and Danny was off to...whatever Lancer had called him for.

"Tucker, your PDA is not a valid witness," Sam dryly pointed out.

"Oh Sam," Tucker crouched over 'Cindy', stroking the device gently. "You hurt Cindy's feelings."

Sam looked at Tucker incredulously, while Danny burst into laughter. "Is it possible that a ghost may be involved?" he said after controlling his snickers.

"Are you guys discussing ghosts?" A shadow fell over their small table as Valerie put her tray on it. She smiled and asked hesitantly, "Can I join you guys? Um..., it's okay if I can't since there was me hunting Danny and I was being an all-around je—" she stopped when someone laid their hand on hers.

"We're like, totally waiting for you!" Valerie stared at Tucker's eager face, while Danny and Sam were nodding in the background. "Just sit down. What are ya waiting for?"

Valerie smiled as she took a seat next to the techno-geek. Continuing the topic of conversation, the four of them could only speculate on what was causing Tucker's weird morning experience. Still, they enjoyed a relatively peaceful time just being friends and joking with each other, which was increasingly rare to get. It also seemed like Valerie belonged in their little group since the very beginning, even managing to distract Tucker from doting on 'Cindy'. Danny finished his untoasted sandwich without the distraction of the Box Ghost, and Sam could almost forget that she was going to spend time with Paulina, Dash, and Dale in just a few hours. Furthermore, the group was getting more and more practiced ignoring the rest of the student body, who had mostly kept their distance from the four close-knit students. They had Lancer to thank for that, because the teacher was still strictly enforcing the rule preventing students from bothering Danny. Nevertheless, the peace only lasted a little longer after the break.

.

The ghosts had come back with a vengeance, and Danny practically spent his third and fourth periods making stammered excuses — he could no longer fool them with the bathroom excuse because _yes he tried_ — and practically being a huge distraction to everyone else. It wasn't Danny's fault, really, because he just couldn't ignore whenever his ghost sense acted up. And the rest of the students could not even hope to concentrate on _mundane_ subjects, such as math, when their classmate was fighting the paranormal. So far, Danny's thermos was already filled with five non-humanoid ghosts, just the more creature-like ghosts whose obsessions were simply to wreak havoc. They were bothersome, but Danny could easily gain the upper-hand because they lacked intelligence, since they were only, what his mom would call, manifestations of negative energies ( _she would be proud he remembered this)._

"Mr. Fenton, a _gain?_ " Mr. Falluca turned from the calculation on the board, looking at Danny in both exasperation and barely-hidden sympathy.

Danny quickly shook his head while he slowly lowered his raised hand. The class had gone silent. "No, sir. I...uh..." Danny scratched the back of his neck in nervousness. "Actually, I really need to go."

Falluca stared at the boy uncomprehendingly. "Yes, yes, go catch the ghost and bring your little thermos with you, Daniel."

To the teacher's surprise, however, the boy hero didn't immediately rush out of the class — _he wondered why Daniel didn't just phase out since it would be quicker_ — instead, Danny looked mortified. "I mean I really need to go _tothebathroom_ , like for real, so about the thermos, my hands will be kinda..um... busy."

Someone in the back couldn't help snorting, and soon the whole class was laughing. Mr. Falluca shook his head before nodding to excuse the boy. He _swore_ he could see Daniel's little smirk before he left.

.

"Sometimes, I think I'm dating a total dork," Sam muttered. They were in the hall after just finishing the class.

Danny shrugged and grinned. "A guy's gotta have his little fun somewhere." And it was truly his little fun, because by the time lunch came, Danny was dragging himself to the vending machine for some energy drink. "I wonder why the ghosts are attacking now. What happened to the usual late-night arrangement?"

"Danny..." Sam put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a worried stare. "You should just let them be. Look at Valerie, and your parents can handle things when you're at school."

"You know I can't, Sam," Danny said with a sigh. "Valerie can't detect a ghost outside her tracker's radius. My parents are good with fighting, but I can't let them get hurt for me when I'm the one who has ghost powers. Besides, it's probably my fault anyway. Wanna bet this change of schedule has something to do with the 'show'?" Crossing his arms, Danny scowled as he gazed at some curious students listening to their conversation, making them hurriedly go back to shoving their books in the lockers.

"Yeah right, it's your fault," Sam also scowled.

Danny's expression turned guilty seeing Sam's clear displeasure. He put away his own books, and took Sam's before putting them inside her locker. Sam raised her eyebrows at the action.

"What the heck, Danny?"

"Um...I just want to...I dunno," Danny stammered, looking like a kid who was caught stealing cookies. "Sorry," he finally said. "I can't seem to get it right with you. It's supposed to be the stuff boyfriends do to their girlfriends."

Sam stopped scowling and smiled softly. "It's okay. Just try not treating me like I'm some helpless girl."

"You're far from helpless, Sam," was Danny's immediate response.

"And you'd better remember it," Sam smugly said, grabbing Danny's books and playfully smacked him in the arm with those. They shared a laugh together.

.

"Look at this! I'm famous!" Tucker waved his PDA while at the same time swinging an arm around Danny's shoulders. The shocked couple took a moment to register the techno-geek's sudden presence. Tucker was grinning viciously, glancing at Danny who was trying to read the bold headline on Cindy's screen.

"'Tucker Foley's Secret Romance with Danny Fenton/Phantom'?" Danny voiced with an increasingly high-pitched tone, his face scrunched up in a grossed-out expression. "Tucker! What—why—argh!" He smacked a hand to his face, harshly, hoping to knock himself unconscious in the face of this plain madness.

"Wow," Sam chuckled. Glancing at Danny, she said, "Are you cheating on me? Danny?" Her boyfriend was staring at the offending headline with impossibly wide eyes, not hearing a word. "I think you broke him."

"I know!" Tucker beamed, enjoying the spectacle Danny made by himself. "They even mentioned my Too Fine nickname right. This Harriet Chin is amazing!"

Suddenly, Danny snapped out of his trance. "Harriet Chin?"

"Yeah, dude. Here listen, I have like four paragraphs describing myself—I mean, oh man, this one's researched well..." Tucker proceeded to painstakingly read those four paragraphs, doing an admirable job avoiding the juicy 'secret romance' romance parts. Meanwhile, Danny was becoming gradually paler while Sam was silently shaking with laughter. Same goes with the students who had stopped on their way to lunch, having seen or heard of the recently published article themselves. It was a total bull of course, but entertaining nonetheless.

Danny was not amused.

"Darn it, I'm third-wheeling you two again. See you after detention!" Sam said lightly before trudging through the crowd to Falluca's office.

Danny looked at her in horror. "Hey, Sam! Wait up!" He phased through Tucker's grip on his shoulders, realizing momentarily too late that it was Tucker's intentional gesture, and pausing to glare at the innocently-smiling techno-geek.

"Danneh! Why are you leaving me!"

" _Sam_!"

"There you go, Danny!" Sam called out amidst the students' hysterical laughter. "Don't leave that helpless girl alone!"

" _Sam!_ Oh come on, Tuck!"

"Danneh!"

.

"Do come in, Miss Manson."

Sam opened the door and promptly blanched. There they were. Paulina was staring at her with an expression of disgust and an upturned nose. Dale — she noticed while clenching her fists unconsciously — was staring at her up and down, eyes lingering on certain parts of her body. He smirked hatefully as he met her eyes. Oh, how she wanted to punch that pervert. Dash was surprisingly looking uncomfortable. His eyes were downcast and he only took one glance at her. He offered a small smile before he went back writing lines.

"Your instruction is to write this line fifty times. There's no need to complete it by this hour. You can continue after school. Of course, the faster you write, the faster you will be released," Falluca handed her a piece of folio with a smile. Sam stared at the line she was about to re-write fifty times.

_"I will not use violence to solve a problem."_

Falluca went back to the front desk, continuing his lunch while he supervised the detention. He took a fork and gave a stab at a piece of his steak, before devouring it happily. Sam rolled her eyes, and gave an evil glare at the oblivious teacher.

_This definitely sucks._

_._

_._

_"—just a child, William! He doesn't need to know!"_

_"Daniel won't appreciate you mollycoddling him. He needs to know."_

Danny stopped short when he heard voices behind the door mentioning his name. He was walking to Lancer's office to a meeting they had both agreed, and all thoughts of it being about his grades and school performance flew away. He raised a hand to knock, but hesitated. Danny bit his lower lip, glancing at the empty hallway (since most people were in the cafeteria), and put his ear to the door. Enhanced hearing made it extremely easy for him to eavesdrop.

_"...the school's board trying their best to contain the fall-out. Truth of the matter is those people raised a good point, good enough to convince some. Even as the Principal, I am powerless against the majority of the board!"_

_"...Our job is to protect the students, and Daniel is one, no matter what those vultures might think. How did we go from people protesting our neglect of the bullying problem...to this ridiculous demand of expelling Daniel?"_

Danny inhaled sharply, hardly believing what he was hearing.

_"...you know the media. Always looking for more sensational stories to cover. What's more interesting, some parents protesting a common problem in school practices, or the potential expulsion of the world's hero from school?_

_"Great Gatsby, Ishiyama! There's no need to listen to them! It's a cover-up, I tell you what. Shame on the board!"_

_"I, I can't! The board can fire me anytime, Will. Look, I want to protect Mr. Fenton as much as you do, and I can't do it if they'd just replace me with someone_ — _someone more in line with that dratted pro-human assholes!"_

_"Preposterous! Let's just be calm and discuss it with the boy himself. I called him earlier and he's supposed to show up...right about now. Wait a moment."_

The sound of Lancer's footsteps became louder as he got closer to the door. The vice principal slowly pulled it open, and his suspicion was proven true. Only, the boy in front of him seemed to be severely dazed. Lancer's heart plummeted.

"Daniel?"

.

A shrouded figure soared above Casper High. He was invisible to all, and his immense powers allowed it to partially mask its scent from any ghostly detector, including the one that his target had. One huge eye dominated the face under the hood. The eye scanned the school before zooming in to a particular area, where his target — the insufferable hybrid of two worlds — currently resided.

The 'being' inconspicuously flew closer, and his all-seeing eye started to _observe_ the first fruit of his labor, the first payoff of his manipulation game. They were talking, the hybrid and two lowly humans. The 'being' smiled when he sensed negative emotions ( _sadness...resignation...despair)_ coming out of the young Phantom. Humans were just too easy, and soon they would see their precious hero's life like the way he saw it: dangerous...unstable... _unworthy_.

Funny how influential this flimsy piece in his ghostly hands could be.

**Should Danny Phantom be allowed to attend school?  
_By Harriet Chin_**

Casper High School is the school at the forefront of everybody's mind nowadays, given its role as a major setting for APN's fantastic reality show, starring Amity's ghost hero himself. After last night viewing, the school came under fire for several allegations of authority misuse. This includes protests against the school's inadequate policy against bullying, and rampant ghost problems.

However, this reporter would like to point out the _real issue_ to the readers. The fact that Phantom himself is at the center of Casper's problems, begs the very question, would it be better to remove Phantom from school altogether? He is no human teenager who can be controlled by detentions and authority figures after all. When this question was asked to one of our citizens, the answer was affirmative.

"Yes, absolutely," Pamela Manson, an upstanding member of the advocacy group, _Pro-Human Society_ , agreed. "Who can guarantee that ghost wouldn't use his powers to cheat on a test? Or to have an unfair advantage at gym? Be careful of the wolf in sheep's clothing, or in this case, ghost in a teenage boy's skin."

These are the wise words of Mrs. Manson. The question remains for all readers to ponder. Should Phantom be allowed to remain in Casper High?

...

What irked the 'being' the most was that the impact was nowhere as big as he wanted it to be. Granted, many of the humans had dismissed his influence as nonsense — such is their loyalty to Phantom. Moreover, the first _five_ video memories had been sorely disappointing. They painted the hybrid in a good light instead of what Phantom truly was. But he could be patient, and he would lie in wait. After all, this Phantom had the potential to be the Ultimate Enemy — and it would be revealed somewhere among his memories.

Behind the windows of the old school, the silhouettes moved. One of the taller ones offered a hand to comfort the slumped over one — _the hybrid's_ — and some words of their conversation drifted through the wind.

_"—worry, Daniel. I swear to myself they will not lay a hand on your education, or your rights as a student here."_

_"...I—I don't know what to say. Thanks, Mr. Lancer, Ma'am. "_

_"It's the least we can do, Mr. Fenton."_

.

_(Yes, not fast enough.)_

**Amity Park News, Main Office Building, 14.55 p.m.**

"What is this, Ang?" The senior editor stared at the Asian American journalist in annoyance. His eyebrows raised seeing an elaborately packaged DVD on his desk.

Ang shuffled nervously, having been the one who found the oddly single disc _again_ , just like she was the one who'd found the original stack, alongside with a mysterious note. She was trying hard not to freak out, but it was hard not to because instead of a note, a disembodied voice had spoken to her this time.

_A ghost?_

No, she refused to acknowledge her mysterious benefactor — the one who had given AP News enormous prestige and coverage — was an evil ghost. Matt probably wouldn't have believed her anyway.

"It's—It's a video material. It _has_ to be the one aired tonight, Matt." Ang chewed her lip, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

"Goddammit, Ang. Can't you see what I'm doin' here?" the editor made an exasperated gesture at the multiple monitors he had on his desk. "I'm under pressure to finish editing the Masters—Plasmius footage, now this—what?"

"Then air this first tonight before the Plasmius part. My..um...benefactor specifically stated it _must_ be so."

"Benefactor, eh? Who's this mysterious person? I'd like to thank him myself," murmured Matt as he reached for the DVD.

Ang watched anxiously. _Oh Matt, I don't even know who 'he' is, and I don't think you'll like to know my suspicion on who that is._

"This has better be good," warned the editor as he inserted the DVD into a viewing slot.

"He...," Ang hesitated before pushing through, "...told me it's on Foley. I suppose it's good to expose his character a bit, giving him a character development."

Matt hmm-ed. A smirk was on his face. "That...or assassination."

.

**Casper High School Exterior, 15.12 p.m.**

"So how's your detention? Did'ya kick anybody yet?" asked Tucker casually, after seeing the goth coming toward him, her strides long and her face thunderous. He straightened his back from leaning against the tree, stretching after waiting for his friends to come out. Tucker was feeling quite elated after spending the whole afternoon with Valerie, but he kinda missed Danny and Sam. It was a routine for them to walk home — and occasionally fly — together.

"Lovely," Sam snarled.

"Well, at least no one died," the techno-geek brightly said.

"My sanity died." Sam looked around. "Where's Danny?"

"Here!" Danny suddenly popped into visibility sitting on the tree's branch, grinning down to Tucker who was directly below him. Tucker let out a scream. "Oh man, it never gets old."

Tucker glared. "Dude, how long have you been there?"

Looking mightily satisfied with himself, Danny jumped off to the ground agilely, and dusted his hands. "Wouldn't you like to know, Tuck? Say, you looked awfully cozy for a while there. Wouldn't dream of getting my butt kicked by the Huntress for interrupting."

" _Fenton_!" Tucker lunged at Danny. "I'll kick your butt myself!"

"Oof!" Danny laughed as he went down with Tucker, doing a mock-wrestling on the grass. Sam rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

" _Boys!"_

_._

After the laughter subsided, Danny looked up at Sam. A wide smile was still on his face, but there was concern behind his eyes. "How's your detention, Sam? You alright? I know, I know—standard question."

Sam waved her arm dismissively, smirking. "Let's just say it's not me you should be worried about."

Tucker and Danny exchanged glances, and started to crawl away from the goth, to Sam's amusement.

Nudging Danny, the techno-geek then asked, "What did Lancer want with you, man?"

Danny looked contemplative for a while, before standing up and then offering a hand to Tucker. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Stuff...boring stuff, like my grades and how long Lancer can keep the student body from eating me alive."

"Speaking of eating you alive, there's a cavalry coming..." Tucker trailed off, spotting a bunch of nerds coming their way. In their lead was Mikey.

"Danny! Hey, Danny!"

.

"Googolplex Cinemas. Tonight. They're holding a mass viewing in front of City Hall!" Mikey breathlessly exclaimed, staring at Danny excitedly. Behind him, there were many students that Danny barely recognized, let alone had spoken to. They were blinking owlishly, staring at him like they wanted to find...something...in him. The half-ghost almost shrank back, if not for the security of his two friends beside him.

"Mass viewing?" Sam glared at Mikey and the students behind, exuding an aura of goth darkness which was intimidating enough for almost everyone.

"City Hall?" Tucker wondered.

"Tonight?" said Danny in dread.

"Yep, are you coming, Danny?" Mikey chirped. "My family, like my big family, will be there! They want to meet you, like _dying_ to meet you!"

"Eh, Mikey...?" Tucker began, after glancing at Danny. But Sam beat him to that with her low audible growl, somehow communicating her displeasure very clearly.

"Oh okay!" Mikey said hurriedly. "I'll see you there, then. _Mate!"_ he exclaimed to Danny, who was currently running a hand down his face. The students following him also started to disperse in whispers — apparently, Mikey was their spokesperson.

Sam and Tucker looked at their friend. "Danny?"

.

"Do I have a choice?"

.

**Fenton Works, 15.49 p.m.**

Danny immediately got his answer when he arrived home. At this point, he thought he couldn't be surprised anymore with how loopy his life was , but as usual, fate — or _Clockwork_ — liked to prove him wrong. He found himself gaping at the sight of his mother, happily drinking tea and eating her famous cookies (her only recipe that didn't come alive)...with the Mayor.

"Sweetie! You're home!"

Mayor Montez put his cup down and stood up with a wide smile, arms opened wide. "Mr. Fenton!" He paused, making an exaggerated gesture of thinking deeply. "Or should it be, Mr. Phantom? Ah, nevermind, I'll call you Daniel. How 'bout that, dear Madeline?"

Something about the man rubbed Danny the wrong way; or maybe he was just allergic to mayors after Vlad.

His mom, on the other hand, seemed to be charmed by the politician. She giggled and mock-whispered to Danny. "Isn't he funny, Danny dear?"

"Uh, sir...not to be rude or anything," the half-ghost deliberated. "But why are you here?"

"Why? To give you this personally, of course," Montez reached inside his suit jacket, and gave the boy the invite to—what else—tonight's mass viewing. "I was flying over from Washington just this morning, meeting dignitaries and representatives from other states and nationalities, and decided to bring them here to good ol' Amity! Of course, they'd very much like to see the show! And I realized, hey, why don't we invite the guest of honor himself!

"Look, why don't you take 'em to see museums or something else, Mr. Mayor?" Danny couldn't help saying. He could still fight for his quiet evening. Sweet, undisturbed, _private_ quiet evening.

Maddie gave her son a hesitant glance. "Danny, don't you want to go? I thought you—"

Montez let out a loud belly laugh, cutting Maddie's words. "Now that's the spunk we all like to see, young Phantom!"

Danny raised an eyebrow, a bit bemused on what the mayor was getting at. "No, I'm sorry. My answer is no. Mom, we can spend a quiet night for just _us_ —you, and Dad, and Jazz, and me..."

Maddie smiled. "Of course, Danny, if that's what you want."

Something glinted in the mayor's eyes, and then he suddenly turned sad and let out a large sigh. "That's a shame. My guests and many citizens—it's also open for public by the way—will be sorely disappointed to know you're not coming, Sonny. Hmm, maybe they won't be too disappointed if there's a real ghost materializing in front of their eyes. Considering Amity Park, a large mass of people is bound to attract one, am I right, Dr. Fenton?" He turned to Maddie.

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Maddie slowly nodded. In the meantime, Danny started to understand. Montez was appealing to his guilty coincidence, guilt-tripping him.

"What could we possibly do if such ghost appears!" Montez gasped loudly. "I myself am still traumatized by that hostage incident!"

"Fine!" Danny suddenly snapped harshly, surprising Maddie. "I'll come. For your information, that wasn't me holding you hostage."

"Danny, what?" Maddie was lost.

"Details can be lost, young Daniel," the Mayor smiled, satisfied. "I'll take my leave then."

.

As soon as the Mayor left, Maddie cornered her son. Her baby boy was sitting on the couch, rubbing his temple. Maddie's heart went out to him, but what should she do? _What is going on_?

"Sweetheart." She put an arm around his shoulders gently. "Let us do what you suggested, alright? Taking a break, having a family time together— _just us."_

Icy blue eyes peeked up at her, eyes that were too wise and too burdened in her son's young face. Danny sighed. "No, it's—Mom, you heard what Montez said. I _need_ to go."

"But he didn't force you to go."

"He might as well do that," Danny muttered. "In Tucker's words, he kinda jinxed it. Something's gonna happen, just like it did last night. Mom, I—I _...want_ to go."

Maddie was silent, processing her son's words. Suddenly, a blue wisp came out of Danny's lips.

"Is that—"

"Yeah." Danny stood up quickly. "Eighth one for today," he muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, Maddie caught it. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, mom! Gotta run...! Or fly, I mean!"

There was a flash of light and her son suddenly disappeared. Maddie was left gaping in his wake. Before she could do anything however, the front door was banged open. The sound of loud laughter also came in as Jack and Jazz bringing home groceries.

"Pesky reporters!" her husband was shouting to someone outside.

Maddie snapped into action. "Jack! Jazz! Danny's off fighting a ghost! Put those down and take a weapon!"

"Mom! Danny can handle himself _well,_ and I'm not wearing that jumpsuit!"

.

**Googolplex Outdoor Screening, City Hall Complex, 18.00 p.m.**

The crowd was buzzing in anticipation. Hundreds of chairs had been set up to face a giant projector screen, the likes of which you often see in indoor cinema screening. Technology made it possible to set it up outside, without reducing the quality of the motion pictures considering the outside exposure. The fact that it was set up for a night viewing ( _no direct sun glare)_ also helped. It was all courtesy of Googolplex, Amity Park's frontier movie theater chain. Giant speakers also accompanied the screen, providing audio for hundreds of attendants.

The chairs were placed with enough space between one another. In the front rows, a delegation from Washington sat. The Mayor could be seen socializing and shaking hands among them, exchanging pleasantries before the real show began. Many important people in the town council, as well as the richest citizens, sat near the government delegation. In the midst of them, Pamela Manson sat stoically, not in a good mood because her daughter had disappeared on her since morning. Her husband, Jeremy, was trying to console his wife while at the same time entertaining the business associates around him. God forbid the Mansons being seen as nothing less than professional.

The rest of the crowd was mostly your ordinary citizens. Many families had brought their children; Phantom was very popular as a hero in their eyes, even back when the town vilified him. Many members of the press were bustling about the premise: the TV journalists readied their equipment, while their print counterparts shuffled and compared notes. Somewhere at the back, an interesting group of people caught the eyes of many people — they were wearing identical blood red shirts, with the writing _"Real Human Bleeds Red"._ It was confusing to many people who didn't catch the hidden meaning ( _Why would anyone_ — _less likely a few weirdos_ — _wear a shirt with a shitty caption?)._ Unbeknownst to most people, there was a small well-hidden stitched brooch near the collar of each shirt. The brooch portrayed a small green ghost being crossed-out. It was a pity, the green ghost was rather cute.

Everyone had to undergo a security screening at the front opening. The area was bordered by makeshift wooden fences, so people would have to go through that opening to enter. This was done to prevent unwanted conducts, such as someone pulling a weapon in such a large crowd. Therefore, when Maddie, Jack, and Jazz Fenton entered the premise, they were making a scene after finding out they couldn't bring their weapons inside. This attracted the attention of the crowd, who summarily recognized the hero's parents.

There was a lot of disappointed sighs when Danny Fenton wasn't seen anywhere near his parents. Many doubted he was coming anyway, for the citizens were used to Phantom's elusive antics. The revelation of his human half also supported this behavior, as Danny used to be known as the least prominent even among his family members. Nevertheless, the Mayor was undaunted for he still personally escorted Jack, Maddie and Jazz to the front row. At the very least, the delegates were happy to meet "the family who saved the world".

.

"What would Mr. Modesty say if he sees this?" Tucker whispered in amazement.

Sam snorted, imagining the funny, stricken-look in her boyfriend's face. "Either he'll melt into goo, or his head be inflated so much 'till he's too heavy to fly."

Sam and Tucker were sitting near Tucker's parents, whose faces were thankfully unrecognized enough since they hadn't appeared on the show. They were both wearing hoodies, and Sam, as usual, managed to bribe some people at the front to keep their silence — as well as letting her bring the Fenton Wrist Rays... _for precaution._

"Yeah, yeah, Sam. I always feel appreciated when I'm with you." Two arms slithered around Sam's shoulders, hugging her from behind, and she would have screamed had she not recognized the voice.

"Danny?"

"Ssssh!"

"Dude, I thought you weren't coming!"

Danny quickly grabbed a chair and sat next to them, grinning at Mr. and Mrs. Foley who was staring at him with raised eyebrows. He was also wearing a hoodie, with the hood up. There was a red cap peeking out underneath.

"Change of plan," Danny explained. His eyes drifted over the front row. "'sides, my family's all here."

Sam smiled. "You dork. I thought you've left me alone."

"Wha—Sam? Never!"

"What am I, Sam? A crumpled pretzel? Gee, lovebirds." Tucker sighed. "This is gonna be awkward for me, isn't it?"

Danny and Sam chuckled.

"Anyway, how'd _you_ get in?" asked a genuinely curious Tucker.

Danny waved a hand, looking very satisfied. "Fake name, dude. Worth a try."

"Seriously? You're bad at lying. How could they let you in? Without alerting anyone you're here?"

Looking affronted, Danny retorted, "Hey, I'm a fantastic liar."

Sam, with one elegant eyebrow raised, butted in into the boys' debate. "So, what name did you give them?"

"Um...uh..." Danny rubbed his neck. "...Donald Fentrum...?"

Tucker and Sam stared at him.

Sam slowly put her palm on her forehead, while Tucker...he was struggling to hold his laughter. "Not very creative, are you?" he gasped.

Danny huffed.

.

And so, the waiting game was over. Hundreds upon hundreds of eyes gazed at the giant screen, as equally giant numbers were displayed in a countdown. All conversation ceased.

.

**The first scene happened in Casper High. Suddenly, the camera moved down, revealing Tucker sitting alone, not counting his trusty PDA, at the front steps of the school.**

**"Some people have a lot, and some people don't. But everybody's got somethin'. Me? I've got charm, good looks, and modesty."**

"What...what... _is going on_?" Tucker stammered in panic. One of his arms was clutching Danny's while the other his father's. Tucker had a very tight grip, making both males wince.

The three Foleys were staring wide-eyed at the screen, unable to comprehend what was going on.

"They're supposed to be _my_ memories," Danny whispered to Sam, who nodded in return. This was worrying.

**Tucker was typing what he was saying in his PDA, like a journal entry. He continued, "My best friend, Danny?"**

**The scene suddenly shifted to a flea market ("Amity Park Swap Meet** — **Sat-Sun"), where Tucker and Danny grabbed a pack of four skateboard wheels at the same time. They stared at each other.**

"You guys are so romantic," Sam idly commented.

Tucker, realizing he was still grabbing Danny's arm, quickly jumped away. Danny chuckled and turned to Sam, smirking as he grabbed her into a one-armed hug.

Sam rolled her eyes, hiding her blush. How could a goth like her get a boyfriend who's big into cuddles...she'd never know.

**"...He has something else."**

"Yeah! Awe'ome ghost powers!" Brian exclaimed. Mrs. Snyder smiled gently at her sweet younger son.

**"Two for me, two for you?" Danny offered.**

**Tucker beamed. "Sounds fair."**

**Both Tucker and Danny paid half-and-half, handing the cash out of their pockets to the seller.**

"Not only ghost powers, baby," Mrs. Snyder nudged the boy in her arms. "But a big, very big heart."

Brian gleefully nodded, while Dale, his brother, looked on jealously...from several seats away.

**"...Danny and me have known each other since like, forever. And we share _everything."_**

**The two friends passed another stall. This one was very exotic with gypsy-like decorations. "Madam Babazita's Mystical Oddities", it said on the banner. They approached the stall. Tucker looked interested in a genie bottle and picked it up.**

**"A genie in a bottle? I don't think so." He put it back down. "Thanks, anyway." The bottle sparkled when they turned to walk away.**

Babazita clapped in glee, drawing attention from the people around her. Her rather unique outfit had put her in the spotlight before, but now people realized she was the one who was now on screen.

"The spirit of the harem girl chooses her master!" exclaimed the woman, making those around her scoot away carefully .

**Danny and Tucker passed yet another stall. This one was a snack stand, of caramel corn and cotton candy. They kept walking. A woman and her toddler walked past the boys in the opposite direction. The toddler had a balloon tied around her wrist. She was also screaming in distress, begging for some cotton candy.**

**The mother sternly refused. "I think you've had enough sugar today."**

"Is that Paulina as a baby?" Star joked.

Kwan snorted. They were not in the vicinity of any other A-lister. So they were safe.

**"I want it! I want it! I want it!" the child kept screaming as she was dragged past Babazita's stall.**

Many "Uh-oh"s resonated from the audience.

**The balloon string accidentally caught the neck of the genie bottle. It promptly fell to the ground and broke. A green mist rose up from it.**

Many dignitaries from other states and nationalities gasped at once. It was heard by many of Amity citizens. They chuckled.

_First-timers._

**The mist continued to rise and materialize into a true genie, known otherwise as Desiree. The ghost opened her arms wide.**

**"...and your heart's desire is my command." She then dissolved into green mist again.**

Danny crossed his arms and frowned. "So that's how she was released."

"Yeah, man, what a fantastic end to our window-shopping," Tucker said with a relaxed sigh.

"Window-shopping?" Sam snickered.

**Danny gasped as his ghost sense was triggered.**

"THAT'S IT, SON!" Jack Fenton's exclamation was loud enough to be heard from Danny's place. He groaned.

Apparently, it also triggered a bunch of cheering — especially from the little guys — as they knew action was nearing. Danny groaned again.

**He quickly turned his head, and spotted the flowing mist, going through the stalls, and finally stopping beside another cotton candy stall. Desiree materialized, and waved her arms. The mixture of cotton candy suddenly burst out from its machine, in a very large amount. It shot to the sky, before Desiree waved her arms again, directing the shot to the center of the crowd.**

**The crowd screamed as they were washed up in a flood of cotton candy.**

"All those months seeking answers to unexplained incidents," Montez reminisced. "If only we knew your son earlier, Madeline."

"That...would've been bad, Mr. Montez," Maddie murmured with a wince. Ghosts weren't even acknowledged as real back then, what would become of her son if he had been known at the time? Probably worse than she and Jack hunting him.

People fear the unknown.

 **The little girl, who'd begged for cotton candy earlier, stared at the incoming wave excitedly. "Yes! Cotton can** —" **Then the rest of her words (and herself) were drowned. The candy wave continued to sweep over every surface, no bystander was spared.**

Many, among the crowds, who were the victims of the candy wave, grumbled to their closest circles about how they had to deal with sticky hair for weeks in the aftermath — but they were mostly alright health-wise.

"Can't imagine a more stupid, worse way to die than being suffocated in cotton candy. Hell," a man in a cop uniform said to the person next to him, who was wearing a fireman attire.

" _Dammit,_ Ben. You're making all this morbid," the fireman shuddered.

"Hell yeah, could've been much more morbid without the Phantom kid," Ben replied.

"Uh...you sure he appeared there?"

"Duh, what's the purpose of this video then? The hell's wrong with common sense?"

The fireman punched the chuckling cop's arm with a sheepish face.

**Meanwhile, there was one stall which miraculously survived the onslaught. Ironically, it was "Dental Work! Cheap!" The dentist watched everything in delight.**

"Can you believe I used to be a fraud dentist, huh?" a balding man in glasses grinned widely to his circle of people — which included Jeremy and Pamela Manson in it.

Jeremy stared disbelievingly at the man, comparing him back and forth to the one on screen. Yes, they were one.

**"...We share everything, except...one thing." The Danny on-screen suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked around.**

Many intakes of breath were heard.

**Seeing everyone was too occupied running away, he clenched his fists. "I'M GOING GHOST!"**

And the crowd went wild as people started screaming (although they were mostly female).

"Oh my gosh..." Sam whispered, speechless seeing the instant chaos. There were camera flashes from various areas in the crowd.

Danny had personally thought Casper High was already bad, but this...this was _madness_! This...this was—

"—the full force of Phantom phans!" Tucker exclaimed, standing up to record the moment better with his PDA. "Behold, Daniel!" he dramatically said to the wide-eyed Danny, sweeping one arm in a grandiose gesture.

**Two halos of light swept over Danny's body, transforming him into his black-and-white-suited alter ego. Phantom opened his glowing green eyes, and launched himself into the sky.**

**"...Danny's got superpowers."**

The cheering continued as everyone was caught up on how _cool_ it was. Those who had not experienced the euphoria of yesterday's screening — a.k.a. most of the citizens — were pleasantly surprised, and helplessly got immersed in the moment.

In the end, the video was paused until the audience calmed down.

**As soon as Danny left the ground, a wave of candy engulfed Tucker.**

"Oh gosh," Danny shook his head ruefully. "No wonder you made that wish. I'm sorry, Tuck. I'm the one who messed up."

Tucker also shook his head, even more fervently than Danny did. "C'mon, man, you're only making me feel guiltier about the whole thing."

"Bottom line is," Sam quickly interrupted. "You both messed up and made up. There, it's done."

The Foleys chuckled at how effective Sam was against both boys, although they also wondered, their sweet Tucker made a wish to this ghost genie?

**Desiree was already in the air, and Phantom chased after her. When they were finally face to face, Desiree pleasantly stated, "I am Desiree. What is your wish?"**

**"None of your business, candy pants!"**

Laughter erupted from the audience.

"Very Funny. Ze Phantom iz very funny," a delegate from France chortled, enjoying herself very much.

**"Surely there must be something." Desiree reached a hand to the ghost boy's chest.**

**Phantom immediately flew backward, panicked. "Hey, get away!"**

"What the heck?" Sam stood up, enraged.

Maddie Fenton growled. "What is that _spook_ playing at?"

Paulina literally screamed, making the people in her vicinity stare at her in irritation. "That genie'd better not be groping my ghost boy!"

Tucker promptly fell out of his seat, bursting into tears, while Danny was hiding his face in his hands. Maurice sympathetically patted Danny's back.

**Without realizing it, an orb of green energy began to form in his hand, and Phantom instinctively aimed it at Desiree. The energy blasted her far, far away into the city. Phantom stared, dumbfounded.**

**"What the heck? What's going on?" He looked at his glowing hand, the energy still flaring brightly. "Is this...a new ghost power?"**

Jack frowned as an idea unexpectedly came over him. "Mads, aren't ghosts not supposed to develop new powers aside from the ones they acquire when they're formed? Why does Danny-boy keep developing new ones?"

"Ghost rays are still basic, Jack," Maddie said, but her mind was going miles. "The other things though..."

"Have you guys seen Danny's ice powers?" Jazz quipped in.

"No, Jazzy-pants, we haven't." Jack and Maddie had only heard of it after the Undergrowth attack and Danny's recent fights on the news, but they had never seen it first hand.

"You should ask Danny, Dad. It's beautiful."

**"That was slammin'" yelled Tucker from the ground. "Whatever that was."**

**Phantom floated down, still looking confused.**

**"You've got _another_ power?"**

**"...I guess."**

**"Man, that's the cool thing about your powers, man. There's no downside! Give me five!"**

**They went for a hi-five but Danny accidentally shot the ray at Tucker, blasting him away to a pile of cotton candy.**

**"I'm okay!"**

Somewhere among the audience, a bald man with beanie slowly grinned, his eyes glinting with wonder and greed.

"Yes, there's no downside," he whispered.

Another man, thug-like in appearance, glanced sideways and frowned. "Boss, you're talking to yourself again."

"Obsessing over freaky powers," a third man, almost identical to the second, said in a sing-song voice and giggled drunkenly.

The beanie-bald man glared at the two of them. "Shut up, you two dumbass. Errgh, alcohol," he sniffed the men. "You're lucky we didn't get caught. Goodness knows why I am stuck with two idiots."

 _It is only for a while_ , Matthews consoled himself _, I will succeed where the GiW don't._

_._

Meanwhile, a woman in her late-twenties was observing the screen critically, particularly the one when Danny blasted a ray at Tucker. "Look at that!" she pointed out to her fellow blood-red-shirt wearers. "Phantom can easily harm others by _accident._ Foley wasn't even spared. That's what I'm talking about, my fellow warriors!"

"Dangerous indeed."

"Oh, I don't want _him_ anywhere near me."

"What should I do? My son idolizes that horrid halfa!

"Not good, not good at all."

The woman shushed the complainers, fearing the crowd at large would hear their little group. It was like a heresy to go against Phantom at this point. So, she did her best to encourage her group. "Let us gather more evidence by continuing to watch. We are, after all, the enlightened ones. Let others see the light. With time, they will be a part of us, my fellow pro-human defenders!"

.

**Danny Phantom's theme song played in the background.**

**.**

**.**

**To be continued in "With Great Power Comes..." a.k.a. What You Want Part II**

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also available in FF.net archive, but for safe-keeping, I'm cross-posting it here. One chapter at a time, though, with a regular interval (2-3 days at most). I'm pretty new to the DP fandom, but I've been loving every minute of being here. So if you're reading this, thank you! Reviews would be appreciated. It's like the equivalent of someone saying 'hello', y'know? And you can be sure I'll return the gesture in kind!


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